Bishan Singh Bedi, legendary Indian cricketer, dies at 77; tributes pour in

Former Indian cricket captain Bishan Singh Bedi, a legendary spinner, died at the age of 77 years on Monday. 

Bishan Singh Bedi picked 266 Test wickets for India. He also took seven wickets in ten One-Day Internationals. He was instrumental in India's first ODI victory.

Born in Amritsar in 1946, Bedi played 67 Tests for India and took 266 wickets with 14 five wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. He also took seven wickets in ten One-Day Internationals.

He was the part of Indian cricket's golden quartet of spinners, others being Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chadrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who formed the core of India's bowling unit for more than a decade between 1966 and 1978.

Bedi was briefly the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990 during tours of New Zealand and England.

He was also a national selector and mentor to many talented spinners like Maninder Singh and Murali Kartik, who all swore by his technical insight.

Tribute poured in on the X platform over Bedi's death. 

"Bishan singh bedi One of our best is no more. It’s a loss to our cricketing fraternity. My deep condolences to his family," said Irfan Pathan.

"Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Bishan Singh Bedi. He was a great cricketer and an even greater human being. He was a moral beacon for all those who knew him," said historian Ramchandra Guha.

"Deeply saddened by the demise of the legendary spinner and former captain of the Indian cricket team Bishan Singh Bedi Ji. Bedi Ji will live in our memories not only through his contribution to the cricketing world but also as the master of crafty bowling who could weave magic on the pitch. My heartfelt condolences to his family members and his fans in this hour of grief," said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

With inputs from PTI