"Dad, how will you remember Bishan Singh Bedi?" I asked my father, as both of us cricket fanatics, sombrely sipped our 'chai' having heard of the great cricketer's passing.
Dad's reply was simple - "What Gavaskar was for India's batting then, Bedi was for India's bowling." "Why, I asked." "He was skilled, fearless, competitive and inspiring. He would have been a damn good fighter pilot!'" For my dad, a retired Air Vice Marshal, that's a serious compliment.
Bishan Singh Bedi did not turn up among us to be loved. He would have been the first person to admit that about himself. Even his son, actor Angad Bedi, says this about his dad - "You may love him, hate him, but there is no way you can ignore Bishan Singh Bedi." He believed that a person was nothing without complete integrity and honesty. His integrity saw him become one of India's greatest spin bowlers ever. His cutting honesty saw him courting controversy right through life. And I'm sure he would not have had it any other way.
Much is made of the Sunil Gavaskar and Bedi rivalry, both talismanic in many an Indian win and fightback. In 1979, Bedi was replaced by Sunny as India's captain and then dropped from the team as well. Bedi reportedly blamed Gavaskar for bringing his cricket career to an end. In 1990, Gavaskar called for Bedi's resignation as team coach after India lost a test series to England.
Did You Know? Bedi Named His Son after Sunil Gavaskar!
But that is simply not the complete picture. Writing in 'The Sardar of Spin' , a book of essays curated by his daughter Neha and published to commemorate Bedi's 75th birthday, Sunny reminds us of how Bedi named his son, back in 1971 - "During the last Test match of India's triumphant West Indies tour, I was floored and honoured when, in Trinidad, Bishan Singh Bedi - who had become a father during the game - named his first born, Gavas Inder Singh." Go figure!
Sunny added - "Until Wasim Akram came, Bishan was the best left-hand bowler I had seen. One can now say that Bishan Singh Bedi is the best left-arm spinner, and Wasim Akram, the best left-hand pacer."
Speaking to Gaurav Kapoor in a video interview, Bedi said on his alleged bete noire - "Gavaskar... bahut bada khiladi tha.. imaan se, maine aisa khiladi duniya mein nahi dekha!" And that, pretty much sets the record straight, isn't it?
Bedi and the Spin Quartet - India's WMD!
In a cricket world where pace bowlers are the tip of the spear for every test playing nation, it was the genius of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, India's captain in the 1960s, that turned spin bowling into India's WMD. Bedi acknowledges Pataudi's role in creating the legendary spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan, who between them played 231 test matches and claimed 853 wickets. Intriguingly, all four of them played in the same test match just once, in Birmingham against England in 1967. But with their array of unique skills - two off-spinners (Prasanna and Venkat), a leg spinner (Chandra), and Bedi, the left-arm spinner, they spun fear into the mind of every kind of batter around the globe. And within this quartet too, despite each competing for their place in the playing XI, there was great affection. Talking about his fellow spin wizards, Bedi said, "Erapalli, Venkat and Bhagwat were all very intelligent, all engineers! I was the only 3rd class graduate among them!"
Bedi's own prowess as a bowler was legendary, something I did not really witness. I was just 11 months old when he achieved his career-best figures of 7/98 against Australia in Kolkata in December 1969. So, naturally Dad filled in the blanks - "Yes, I was flying MiGs in Chandigarh then. We were gathered around my transistor listening to the commentary. Bedi had taken 9 wickets in the previous match in Delhi. And then 7 more in Calcutta! Classic Bedi mop up!" And just to underline that Bishan was as lethal in foreign conditions, his best match figures of 10/194, came at Perth, Australia, on a pitch widely regarded as one of the most pace-friendly in the world.
Cricket's Great Controversialist!
It's never easy to fully understand a person who has spent a large part of his life in the public glare. They get defined by their most famous, or even infamous, accomplishments. So it is with Bishan Singh Bedi as well. He is, of course, famous for his legendary deceptive spin bowling. His brave flighted deliveries would tempt batters into going for their shots, but would then dip suddenly and surprise even the best. While Bedi snared 267 wickets in 67 test matches, he also spoke his mind on the field.
In 1976, as captain, he declared India's innings at 97/5 in Jamaica to protest against intimidatory bowling by the West Indies, practically forfeiting the match. In 1978 too, he forfeited an ODI match against Pakistan, citing partisan umpiring. He also, infamously, remained a critic of spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action; right through the Lankan's career, he called it 'chucking'. He has spoken out against the IPL's 'player auctions', saying it was unseemly for cricketers to be 'sold to the highest bidder'. In 1990, as coach of Team India, he said he would 'dump' the team 'in the sea' after they lost a match against Australia. Yes, the list is long, by Bedi's own admission.
But what explains this? First, Bedi always believed in speaking up for what he believed in - "Chup rehna is a crime "' he said. He lamented the 'fact' that '99.9% of people in India sit on the fence'. Speaking up was central to Bedi's idea of integrity.
His son gets it right. Speaking to Sportstar in 2017 Angad said - 'Anyone who follows Indian cricket closely would know that Bishan Singh Bedi is never a people-pleaser. Just like his bowling style, he loves being sharp, accurate and always in the face.
In the foreword of 'The Sardar of Spin', Kapil Dev summed up Bedi aptly - "Critics would call Bishan paaji a rebel. Wrong. To me, he was a cricketer who knew his rights well. He stood up for the cricketers, fighting for better match fees, travel facilities and accommodation. He took on the DDCA.. he did not hesitate to clash with BCCI officials when he thought they were not being fair... True, he suffered in the process, but always emerged with his head held high."
'Junoon' and 'Sukoon'
Being driven by passion or by 'Junoon' was Bishan Singh Bedi's way of life, on the field, off it, with his friends, and with his family. And paradoxically, as he explained to sports show host Gaurav Kapoor, it was this passion or 'Junoon', that led him towards 'peace' or 'Sukoon' - knowing that he has spoken up and stood by what he believed in.
For Bedi, the honest and passionate pursuit of one's calling is what leads to true inner peace. And this ties up with his great love for Punjabi 'kirtans'. He would listen raptly to 'raagis' or singers, as they sang their devotional 'kirtans'. In the 'sadhna' or repeated practice of his singing, his vocation, Bedi saw himself in the 'raagi' - as someone who lost himself in the pursuit of his passion - in Bedi's case, the love of spin bowling, and the love of cricket. Gosh, Bishan Singh Bedi will be missed.
(Rohit Khanna is a journalist, commentator and video storyteller. He has been Managing Editor at The Quint, Executive Producer of Investigations & Special Projects at CNN-IBN, and is a 2-time Ramnath Goenka award winner)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.