The Sardar of Spin: A Celebration of the Life and Art of Bishan Singh Bedi

Neha Bedi

Description

To chronicle the 19-season first-class cricket career of Bishan Singh Bedi and trace the evolution of this monumental cricketer – from his humble background to scaling the heights of glory on cricket fields all over the world – is a challenge that at the very least, is daunting.



‘When it comes to Bishan, there is no grey. It is either black or white.’ This is what India’s greatest all-rounder, and cricketer of the century, Kapil Dev says. He’s been a man unafraid to speak his mind, even if at times it bordered on the intemperate. But as Mike Brearley the former England captain, stressed, ‘Bishan was no diplomat.’



It was his bowling that mesmerized batsmen and seemingly lured them to their doom. His methods were unique and he copped his share of criticism, but his technique and delivery were faultless.



Bishan Singh Bedi was the proverbial ‘enigma wrapped in a mystery’ as a cricketer and a human being. This book, to commemorate his 75th birthday, is an effort to separate the chaff from the grain; and try and spread the flavour and spice, of a unique talent.



With contributions by: Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Ramachandra Guha, Rajdeep Sardesai, B.S. Rattan, W.P. Sharma, R. Sriman, Suresh Menon, Vijay Merchant, B.S. Chandrasekhar, Venkat Sundaram, Rahul Banerji, V.V. Kumar with Aditya Bhushan, Anil Kumble, Murali Kartik, Kirti Azad, Satwender Singh, Saad Bin Jung, G. Rajaraman, Ayaz Memon, Michael Holding, Greg Chappell, Michael Brearley, Michael Coward, Clayton Murzello, Gundappa Viswanath with Aditya Bhushan, Abbas Ali Baig, Raju Mukherji, Qamar Ahmed, V. Ramnarayan, Aditya Bhushan, Arunabha Sengupta, H.R. Gopalakrishna.

Sujets

• Sport
• Autour du sport
• Histoire du sport
• Autres sports
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Wasim Akram
• Kapil Dev
• Sunil Gavaskar
• Anil Kumble
• Non-fiction
• Recreation
• Anthology
• Memon
• Gundappa Viswanath
• Michael Holding
• Bishan Singh Bedi
• B. S. Chandrasekhar
• Murali Kartik
• Rajdeep Sardesai
• Vijay Merchant
• Farokh Engineer
• Abbas Ali Baig
• Kirti Azad
• Ramachandra Guha
• Arunabha Sengupta
• Angad Bedi
• Suresh Menon
• Ayaz
• Sports

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 24 septembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788195256624
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

To chronicle the 19-season first-class cricket career of Bishan Singh Bedi and trace the evolution of this monumental cricketer – from his humble background to scaling the heights of glory on cricket fields all over the world – is a challenge that at the very least, is daunting.
‘When it comes to Bishan, there is no grey. It is either black or white.’ This is what India’s greatest all-rounder, and cricketer of the century, Kapil Dev says. As Mike Brearley the former England captain, stressed, ‘Bishan was no diplomat.’ He’s been a man unafraid to speak his mind, even if at times it bordered on the intemperate.
It was his bowling that mesmerized batsmen and seemingly lured them to their doom. His methods were unique and he copped his share of criticism, but his technique and delivery were faultless.
Bishan Singh Bedi is the proverbial ‘enigma wrapped in a mystery’ as a cricketer and a human being. This book, to commemorate his 75th birthday, is an effort to separate the chaff from the grain; and try and spread the flavour and spice of a unique talent.
 
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FORTHCOMING TITLE Narinder Singh Kapany The Man Who Bent Light
 

 
ROLI BOOKS
This digital edition published in 2021
First published in 2021 by
The Lotus Collection
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© For individual essays rests with their respective authors, 2021
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, print reproduction, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Roli Books. Any unauthorized distribution of this e-book may be considered a direct infringement of copyright and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Photographs Courtesy : Kamal Julka, Dr. Narottam Puri, Personal collection of Bishan Singh Bedi, V. Ramnarayan, Venkat Sundaram, Ashish Rane and Rajdeep Sardesai.
Cover image : Bishan Singh Bedi at the Lord’s Cricket Ground during the Indian team’s tour of England in 1967. Alamy
Cover Design : Gavin Morris
eISBN: 978-81-952566-2-4
All rights reserved.
This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published.
 
Contents

Foreword by Kapil Dev
Editor’s Note by Sachin Bajaj
Bishan Singh Bedi, My Father by Neha Bedi
1. From One Master to Another…
Sachin Tendulkar
2. In Praise of Bishan Singh Bedi
Sunil Gavaskar, E.A.S. Prasanna and Farokh Engineer
3. Watching Bedi Bowl
Ramachandra Guha
4. Bishan Singh Bedi: The Anti-Establishment Hero
Rajdeep Sardesai
5. A Lesson in the Art of Gratitude
B.S. Rattan
6. Bishan: Through the Eyes of a Lifelong Admirer
W.P. Sharma
7. Bishan Bedi: An Emerging Talent
R. Sriman
8. Portrait of the Artist as a Bowler
Suresh Menon
9. Bedi vis-à-vis Vinoo Mankad
Vijay Merchant
10. Bishan the Man is an All-Time Great
B.S. Chandrasekhar
11. Bish: Taking us from Club Class to World Class
Venkat Sundaram
12. How Bishan Singh Bedi Turned Delhi into Winners
Rahul Banerji
13. There Will Never be Another Bowler Like Bish
V.V. Kumar with Aditya Bhushan
14. For Bishan Bedi’s Seventy-Fifth
Anil Kumble
15. Bishan Paaji ’s Legacy in Indian Cricket is Unparalleled
Murali Kartik
16. Bishan Paaji Taught us the Virtues of Truth and Morality
Kirti Azad
17. A Five Decades’ Association with One of the Greatest Spinners in the World
A.G. Satvinder Singh
18. In Praise of a Genius
Saad Bin Jung
19. Bishan Singh Bedi: The Most Incurable Cricket Romantic
G. Rajaraman
20. Bishan Singh Bedi: A Cricket Connoisseur’s Delight
Ayaz Memon
21. I Cherish the Fact that I Played the Game with Men Like Bishan
Michael Holding
22. Fierce Competitor on the Field and a Thorough Gentleman off it
Greg Chappell
23. A Gentlemanly Cricketer
Michael Brearley
24. A Long Affinity with Australia
Mike Coward
25. Memories of a Journalist’s Numerous Interactions with Bishan Singh Bedi
Clayton Murzello
26. The All-Time Great Superman
Gundappa Viswanath with Aditya Bhushan
27. A Guiding Light to the Game of Cricket
Abbas Ali Baig
28. My Idol, Bishan
Raju Mukherji
29. Bishan Singh Bedi: The Spin Wizard
Qamar Ahmed
30. Is there Anything as Perfect as Bedi’s Action?
V. Ramnarayan
31. Bedi in County Cricket: From North to Northants
Aditya Bhushan
32. Bishan Singh Bedi: The Colourful Great of a Colourful Art
Arunabha Sengupta
33. Bishan Singh Bedi – The ‘Bentley’ of Spinners
Dr Narottam Puri
34. Bishan Singh Bedi: A Statistical Tribute
H.R. Gopala Krishna
About the Contributors
Acknowledgement
 
Foreword
KAPIL DEV

When I was asked to write a Foreword on the book to celebrate Bishan Singh Bedi’s cricket and life, I wondered what could I write? How can I pen my thoughts on someone who is larger than life? On someone who was my first captain. He has been a huge influence. I can write so much on Bishan paaji . Can speak endlessly on him. But would that capture the personality of the man whose essence to cricket and life is worthy of a case study?
Indian cricket has seen many great personalities. I was fascinated by GRV (Viswanath). I came to know Sunny (Gavaskar). Played with Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin. But there was no one like Bishan paaji . I can’t do justice writing about such a large-hearted man who believed in living life with a very positive attitude. To know Bishan paaji was like knowing all the good things of life and cricket.
I am often asked who were the seniors I admired. There were many. But Bishan paaji topped the list for his amazing quality of teaching. He did not hold himself back if he saw injustice. He had a strong opinion and stuck to it. Of course, he was not the one to hurt people but it also did not mean that he would compromise with his views. If he took a stand, it was based on certain beliefs and principles that marked his game.
Among my early memories of Bishan paaji is the image of a player with his collars up and shirt buttons open. I was a kid and was watching the Duleep Trophy match between North and Central. Bishan paaji was a star. I just could not take my eyes off him. He was not an athlete but he was always busy on the field, constantly doing some exercise or the other when he was not bowling or when he was fielding in the deep.
I also remember playing an Irani Cup match and watching him bowl. He made a big impression on me with his catching as he stood in the slips, and praised me for the half century I made. The best part of that match was travelling from Delhi to Bangalore by train and enjoying his company for more than two days of travel. He had so much to share with us youngsters in the team.
He was my first captain. He was also my first cricket manager when he took on the role in 1990 for the tours to New Zealand and England. I spent a lot of time with him, and believe me, it was education in cricket and life. He lived cricket every moment and gave quality time to the young members of the team, especially those on their first overseas tours. I know how players felt about the taxing fitness drills Bishan paaji would have in the run up to the matches, and I am sure many must have realized that it helped them so much in later years.
Bishan paaji ’s passion for the game is unmatched. You can speak with him on cricket any time of the day and any time of the night. You have to love the game immensely to be able to do that. He had a solution to every cricket issue and it came from his deep study of the game. I don’t think I have come a