Associated Press
NEW DELHI — Bishan Bedi, the India cricket great whose dazzling left-arm spin claimed 266 test wickets, has died. He was 77.
The death of Bedi, who underwent multiple surgeries over the last two years that included a knee operation a month ago, was confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday.
“The BCCI mourns the sad demise of former India Test Captain and legendary spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi,” the BCCI wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and fans in these tough times. May his soul rest in peace.”
Born in Amritsar on Sept. 25, 1946, Bedi was part of the famous Indian spin quartet with Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan in the 1970s.
Bedi earned his 266 wickets in 67 test matches, at an average of 28.71, with best innings figures of 7-98 and best match figures of 10-194. His last test match was against England at the Oval in 1979. At the time of his retirement, he was India’s leading wicket-taker before being overtaken by Kapil Dev a few years later. He averaged under nine runs in tests as a right-handed batter but had a highest score of 50 not out.
He played only 10 ODIs between 1974-79, picking up seven wickets.