New Delhi: The cricketing fraternity mourned the death of the legendary spinner and formerly India captain Bishan Singh Bedi as they attended the last rites here in Lodhi Crematorium on Tuesday. Bedi passed after a prolonged illness in the national capital on Monday
The attendees included the likes of former Indian stars including Kapil Dev, Kirti Azad, Virendra Sehwag, Madan Lal and Mohammad Azharuddin.
"...We all have played cricket and we will all leave one day, but very (few) people come with a character, and those who have a character become successful...This is the biggest loss to Indian cricket, but more than that he was a great human being. He was my captain, my mentor, my everything," former India captain Kapil Dev told reporters in the national capital.
Former India player Kirti Azad remembered Bishan Singh Bedi as a "fighter". "We came up as fighters because of Bishan Paji, he has left us but he will always stay in our hearts. He was a complete fighter and the best friend off the field. It is a great loss, not only to cricket but to everyone who knew him," said Azad, a member of India's ODI World Cup winning team in 1983.
Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin said, "I have not seen a better spin bowler than him. Bishan Ji was a great human being, he taught us a lot. It is a huge loss for the cricket fraternity".
Bedi had featured in 67 Tests for India scalping 266 wickets which include 14 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. The spinner born in Amritsar in 1946 formed a formidable spin unit including Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. These spinners formed the core of India's bowling unit for more than a decade between 1966 and 1978.
He was also manager of the Indian cricket team for a brief stint in 1990 when they toured New Zealand and England. The Punjab-based cricketer was also a national selector once and was a mentor for many former cricketers Maninder Singh, Sunil Joshi, and Murali Kartik. Bedi also led the national side for around four years in Tests between 1975 and 1979 post Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's retirement.
