This is Part 2 of Legends of Indian Cricket, our 20-part series on the players who shaped the game in India. New here? Start with Part 1: Vinoo Mankad.
Cricket writers have often called Bishan Singh Bedi the most beautiful bowler they ever saw. Born in Amritsar in 1946, the turbaned left-arm spinner bowled with a smooth, rhythmic action that seemed effortless, yet hid endless variations of flight and spin.
The spin quartet
In the 1960s and 1970s, India's strength lay in four spinners who between them took more than 800 Test wickets:
- Bishan Singh Bedi, left-arm orthodox spin.
- Erapalli Prasanna, off-spin.
- Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, fast leg-spin.
- S. Venkataraghavan, off-spin.
They rarely all played together, but they gave India famous wins at home and abroad, including the 1971 series victories in the West Indies and England.
Career in numbers
- 67 Tests from 1966 to 1979.
- 266 wickets, at the time a record for an Indian bowler.
- A long and successful county career with Northamptonshire, where he took over 400 first-class wickets.
- 1,560 first-class wickets in all.
Captain and conscience
Bedi captained India in 22 Tests. He was known for strong principles: in 1976 in Jamaica he declared India's innings closed in protest against intimidatory short-pitched bowling, and in 1978 he conceded an ODI in Pakistan over what he saw as unfair bowling.
After playing
Bedi became a coach and mentor to young spinners, a manager of the Indian team, and an outspoken commentator on the game and its administration. He was known for his sense of humour and his warmth towards young players.
Legacy
Bedi died in October 2023, aged 77. He remains a reference point for every left-arm spinner who values loop and guile over speed. His art lives on in the next great Indian spinner of this series, Part 6: Anil Kumble.
Statistics are for international cricket and are correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026; figures for active players will change.
Next in the series: Part 3: Sunil Gavaskar.
