Bishan Singh Bedi passes away: 7/98 against Australia and other standout spells from spin legend

Indian cricket lost an icon on Monday with Bishan Singh Bedi passing away aged 77 at his New Delhi residence.

Bedi, who had been suffering from a prolonged illness and had undergone multiple surgeries recently, passed away peacefully, according to his family. Bedi is survived by his wife Anju, son Angad and daughter Neha.

Bishan Singh Bedi passes away: ‘One of our best’, ‘moral beacon for all’ and more tributes

The former India captain was part of the iconic spin quartet alongside Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan that formed the core of the Indian bowling department throughout the 1970s.

With 266 wickets in 67 Tests appearances, Bedi — who is considered one of the greatest spinners to have graced the sport — was the leading Indian wicket-taker at the time of his retirement. He also captained the Indian team in 22 of those Tests, leading the nation to six wins.

Read | ‘Deeply saddened’: PM Modi pays tribute to Bishan Singh Bedi

As we pay tribute to the legendary cricketer, we revisit a few of his greatest performances with the ball:

7/98 vs Australia in Kolkata, 1969

Bedi’s best bowling figures came in the during the fourth Test of Australia’s 1969-70 tour of India at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The left-arm spinner was a lone warrior with figures of 7/98, which played a key role in bowling the Bill Lawry-led visitors out for 335 when they appeared destined for a lot more. Eknath Solkar was the only other wicket-taker in that innings, dismissing Alan Connolly to bring the innings to an end, while two batters were run out. Bedi’s effort, though, had little effect on the eventual outcome with the Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi-led Indians going down by 10 wickets.

5/89 and 5/105 vs Australia in Perth, 1977

Bedi’s only 10-wicket match haul in his legendary career came against the Aussies, this time in their backyard eight years after his career-best haul of 7/98. The left-arm spinner, leading the side this time, was the pick of the Indian attack in both essays in the 2nd Test of the 1977-78 tour at Perth’s WACA with figures of 5/89 and 5/105 on what is considered one of the quickest wickets in the world. Despite Bedi’s efforts helping the travelling Indians collect a slender 10-run first innings lead, the Aussies would end up collecting a thrilling two-wicket win in their chase of the challenging 339-run target.

4/81 vs West Indies in Chennai, 1967

Bedi didn’t take too long to make an impact on the international arena. After making his debut in the second Test of West Indies’ 1966-67 tour of India in Kolkata, a 20-year-old Bedi would collect his first four-fer in the very next game, restricting the Windies’ charge towards the 322-run target with a haul of 4/81. All seven wickets that fell in that innings went to the spinners, with off-spinner Prasanna collecting 3/106 in what was the first instance of members of the legendary quarter hunting together. The pair’s efforts would help India collect a draw, avoiding a 3-0 sweep in the process.

5/37 against Australia in Delhi, 1969

Bedi nearly had a second 10-wicket match haul in his Test career, although it can be argued that he had a greater impact with his 9/108 against Australia in Delhi in 1969 compared to his 10/194 against the same side in Perth eight years later. Bedi and Prasanna collected four wickets each as Australia were bowled out for 296 in their first essay and ended up collecting a 73-run first innings lead. Bedi and Prasanna, however, ripped the Aussie batting lineup apart completely in the second half of the match, collecting 5/37 and 5/42 respectively as Australia were bundled out for a paltry 107. India would go on to win the Test by seven wickets.

5/27 against New Zealand in Mumbai (Wankhede), 1976

Another spell that would match the destruction unleashed by Bedi against the Aussies in Delhi in 1969 would be his outstanding haul of 5/27 against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium during the Black Caps’ 1976-77 tour of India. While it was Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan who collected the lion’s share of wickets in the first innings as India collected a 101-run first innings lead, with the Delhi bowler getting two wickets to his name, it was an all-Bedi show in the Kiwis’ chase of the 304-run target as they were bundled out for 141, crashing to a 162-run defeat.

Honourable mention: 1-6 against East Africa in the 1975 World Cup

Bedi was also part of the Indian side in their first-ever victory in One-Day Internationals — which had been in existence for a total of four years at the time of the first-ever World Cup, and was a 60-over affair back them. Bedi was the most miserly of the Indian bowlers, conceding just six runs in 12 overs as East Africa were bundled out for 120. Sunil Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer then aced the chase, guiding India to a thumping 10-wicket victory.