PremiumIND v ENG: Ravi Shastri, Michael Atherton reminisce about legend Bishan Singh Bedi on air
While the players on the field did their part in memory of the legend, the commentary panel of Ravi Shastri, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain remembered him with interesting anecdotes and notes
Last Updated: 03.37 PM, Oct 29, 2023
The Indian men's cricket team walked out earlier today to face Jos Buttler's England sporting black armbands to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late & great Bishan Singh Bedi.
An integral part of the famed Indian spin quartet of the '60s and '70s, Bishan Singh Bedi was as fascinating a personality as deceptive he was as a left-arm spinner who took 266 Test wickets over 67 matches. His candour and unfiltered take on the game won him several admirers even well past his retirement and his unfortunate passing less than a week ago has left the cricketing world & beyond grieving.
On October 23, 2023, Bishan Singh Bedi passed away after having battled age-related illnesses.
Ravi Shastri, Mike Atherton remember Bishan Bedi
While the players on the field did their part in memory of the legend, the commentary panel of Ravi Shastri, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain remembered him with a few interesting anecdotes and notes.
"My first first-class game was alongside Bishan Singh Bedi," said former India coach Ravi Shastri, answering Atherton's question while on-air. "It was his last first-class game but he picked up five wickets against Mumbai with total ease," he reminisced.
In his long first-class career comprising 370 matches, Bishan Bedi took a whopping 1560 wickets to establish just how skilful he was.
In the same vein, Michael Atherton noted in his small tribute to the late cricketer that had the DRS existed in his time, Bishan Singh Bedi would have ended up with a much bigger tally of wickets. Comparing Bishan Bedi's career with that of Ravindra Jadeja, a similar bowler, the former England captain opined that the older generation bowlers would have got several LBW decisions in their favour had the review system existed.
India look to march on
Coming to the India vs England World Cup 2023 game in Lucknow, Rohit Sharma & Co. would look to check a few more boxes on their road to the semi-finals. It's been a great, blip-free run thus far for the men in blue but one can surely expect a few problems to arise as they get closer to the 'business end' of the tournament, particularly with regard to team selection. Hardik Pandya, the premiere all-rounder that India invests a lot of hope in, is currently out of the squad owing to an injury and the team would certainly want him back at his best.
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England, on the other hand, are staring down the barrel with multiple big defeats but would look to get back in touch against India. The team consists of several superstars like Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler and one would claim that it's only a matter of one solid performance for them.