Legendary India spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, who passed away recently at the age of 77, was given a tearful farewell in Delhi amidst family, friends, and many from the Indian cricket fraternity.

Bishan Bedi’s son Angad confirmed the sad news and also revealed that he passed away peacefully after a prolonged illness. 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.

Bedi formed the famous spin quartet in the Indian team along with Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. The master left-arm spinner also captained India in 22 Tests.

He played a huge role in India’s first-ever ODI win over East Africa in World Cup 1975, bowling 12 overs for just 6 runs with 8 maidens and picking one wicket. India registered the first-ever 10-wicket win in ODI history as well.

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After retirement from the game, Bedi became a national selector and was also the manager of the Indian team on tours of England and New Zealand in 1990.

During his funeral and last rites, many famous Indian cricketers from the past came to pay their last respects. Also present was Sharmila Tagore, well known Bollywood actress and wife of late Indian captain Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. Pataudi and Bishan Bedi were teammates together and played a lot for India.  

Kapil Dev, Madan Lal, Mohammed Azharuddin, Virender Sehwag and Kirti Azad were seen consoling Bedi’s son Angad. Also present at the crematorium were Ajay Jadeja, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, and Murali Kartik. Kartik was mentored by Bishan Bedi in his younger days.