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Former India Test skipper and legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi passed away at the age of 77, and his last rites were performed on Tuesday in Delhi.
Many former cricketers gathered to say him a sorrowful farewell. His funeral rites were performed at Delhi's Lodhi Road Cremation Ground. While speaking to the press, former India player Kirti Azad said that the Men in Blue came up as fighters only because of Bedi. Azad added that Bishan Singh Bedi's demise was a great loss for the Indian cricket fraternity and also for the people who knew him. "We came up as fighters because of Bishan paji, he has left us but he will always stay in our hearts. He was a complete fighter and the best friend off the field. It is a great loss, not only to cricket but to everyone who knew him," Azad said. On the other hand, former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin said that he had never seen a better spin bowler like Bishan Singh Bedi. The former India skipper further stated that he was a great human being as well and added that it was a huge loss for the cricket world. "I have not seen a better spin bowler than him. Bishan Ji was a great human being, he taught us a lot. It is a huge loss for the cricket fraternity," Azharuddin added. The celebrated left-arm spinner, who formed a much-vaunted spinning quartet along with Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar in his heydays, passed away in Delhi on Monday after a prolonged illness. The legendary spinner represented India in 67 Tests and 10 ODIs, taking a combined of 273 wickets. Well known for his profound understanding of the game, Bedi's elegant and rhythmic bowling action, coupled with his ability to generate prodigious spin, and his discipline with the ball earned him tremendous success. With an astounding 1560 first-class wickets to his credit, Mr Bedi also led India in 22 Tests, with three of the six wins coming on foreign soil. He also featured in India's inaugural ODI, played on July 13, 1974, in Leeds. At the time of his retirement, Bedi held the distinction of being India's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. (ANI)
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