Former India captain Kapil Dev, and Virender Sehwag among other ex-India cricketers turned up at the Lodhi Crematorium in New Delhi to attend the last rites of the spin-bowling legend Bishan Singh Bedi and to pay their last respects to the veteran cricketer.
Bedi passed away on Monday, October 24 after a prolonged illness. His funeral ceremony saw several legendary names of Indian cricket turn up on Tuesday and pay homage to him.
Apart from Kapil and Sehwag, the members of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Kirti Azad and Madan Lal were also present at the event.
Former India pacer and the head coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Ashish Nehra, cricketer turned commentator Murali Kartik and Ajay Jadeja, who is currently a part of Afghanistan's team management in the ongoing World Cup also paid tribute to the "Sardar of Spin".
Bedi is regarded as one of the finest spinners of his time. He played a total of 67 Test matches and bagged 266 wickets at an average of 28.71. His illustrious Test career saw him claim 13 four-wicket hauls and 14 five-wicket-hauls.
The left-arm orthodox bowler also represented India in ten ODIs and snared seven scalps. He made his India debut in the Test match against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in December 1966. The Amritsar-born was an integral part of India's famous spin quartet that featured Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.
Apart from being a world-class spinner, Bedi was always quick to reach out to the youngsters. He even mentored several spinners who went on to have a successful career in international cricket.
Bedi's demise is a major loss to the Indian cricket fraternity as he was a fountain of knowledge and still had plenty to offer to the budding talent in the country.
