Former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam felt numb as he heard about his close friend and former Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi's demise on October 23. Despite being from the other side of the border, the loss of Bedi was personal to Alam.
The friendship between the two dates back to 1971. Alam was representing Surrey while Bedi toured England with the Indian team. After facing him in a First-Class game, the bond between the two grew when they were a part of the World XI squad during a five-month tour of Australia. The last time these two met was in October 2022 at the Kartarpur Sahib.
Alam paid tribute to the legendary Indian spinner in an interview with PTI. "What a great personality he was. A kind-hearted person, full of humour. There was never a dull moment when he was around.
"He was of course a world-class cricketer but an even better human being. I have lost my closest friend on the other side of the border," said Alam.
Even in the last meeting, Bedi was not himself due to surgery in March 2021 to remove a blood clot in his brain. It was Alam who sang their "team song" 'Louise Armstrong's When the Saints Go Marching In' while reminiscing the old times.
"Kartarpur was the last time we met. We got so emotional that we cried talking about the old times. Of late, we could not talk over the phone (due to Bedis' health), but my wife was in regular touch with Bishan's wife. They both also became the best of friends because of our friendship," said the 81-year-old.
Alam recalled one of the earliest meetings with Bedi on the field when he took the aerial route against the spinners.
"I hit him for a few sixes and he came up to me and said 'There are others in the team as well. Why are you only coming after me?'. We connected from that moment on," said the Hoshiarpur-born Pakistan all-rounder.
Alam and Bedi created their best memories during the tour of Australia in 1971-72. The World XI side also included Sunil Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer. He recalled a time when they cooked together for former West Indies batter Rohan Kanhai.
"Har roz shaam ko dinner saath mein karte there. We used to eat together and we used to sing together. Since players with multiple personalities were part of the team, we used to sing as a team bonding exercise. When the Saints Go Marching In was our song.
"There were times he used to cook also. I remember him and I cooking for 70-80 people for Rohan Kanhai's birthday. Memories for lifetime," said Alam.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
After 3 wickets from 4 games, Yuzvendra Chahal picks four-wicket haul for just 8 runs in SMAT 2023
4 overs, 1 maiden, 6 runs and 4 wickets: Jaydev Unadkat's supreme spell restricts opposition for 66/8, win game with 99 balls to spare
