Former India cricket captain Bishen Singh Bedi has extended his support to the revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, saying the sport should not be mixed with politics.
'I would love to go to the place where was I born and grew up in. The nearest I came to visiting Junagarh was when I played the Dilip Sardesai benefit game in Ahmedabad.'
Hailing the decision of the Supreme Court to appoint a two-member committee to oversee reforms in the Cricket Board after the removal of two top BCCI officials, some Olympians and Arjuna Awardees from other disciplines backed ex-cricketers Bishen Bedi and Kirti Azad to undertake the task. "The Hon. Supreme Court has given the onerous responsibility of suggesting names of eminent people who shall comprise a committee to oversee reforms in BCCI and state bodies which have been bedevilled by controversies and malfeasance," they said in a media statement following the apex court's ejection of Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as President and Secretary of the BCCI.
An ordinary performance in Sri Lanka and no longer young at 38, Anil Kumble came under scanner of critics but former spin greats say the Indian Test captain is still the best bowler in the team.
One of cricket's greatest players passed into the ages on Monday. Rediff.com salutes the legend.
Retired spin great Muttiah Muralitharan on Wednesday lashed out at his long-time detractor Bishen Singh Bedi, calling the former India captain a controversy monger and ordinary bowler who would have been hammered by any batsman if he was playing now.
Former India cricket captain Bishen Singh Bedi has welcomed the arrest of Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi over corruption charges in the conduct of the Commonwealth Games, which were staged in Delhi last year.
Chief selector Wasim Bari suggested inviting the legendary Indian left-arm spinner for a special training camp for upcoming bowlers.
Former Indian captain Bishen Singh Bedi is convinced that come what may, India will beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Wankhede on Saturday.
Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi paid rich tributes to Sachin Tendulkar and termed the retiring batting great as "a messenger of God".
Bedi, Delhi's chief coach for the last three years, is upset that the DDCA is yet to announce the team and coach, though the season is about to begin.
At the receiving end of a scathing attack from Muttiah Muralitharan, his long-time detractor Bishen Singh Bedi on Wednesday hit back at the Sri Lankan spin great by maintaining that he is indeed a "chucker".
Spin legend Bishen Singh Bedi on Tuesday advised young and aspiring slow bowlers to focus on rhythmic body movements and fitness to excel at the game.
The former India captain also said Sunil Gavaskar should take over as coach of the Indian team.
Calling retired spin great Muttiah Muralitharan's outburst against his long-time detractor Bishen Singh Bedi a perfect "parting shot", former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu said that the iconic bowler brilliantly timed his verbal attack on the Indian.
Muralitharan had consulted lawyers on taking action against Bedi for writing degrading articles questioning his bowling action.
Former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi on Tuesday lashed out at Suraj Randiv for his deliberate no-ball to Virender Sehwag, which denied the Indian opener a hundred in a tri-series match on Monday, saying that he should be banned for five games for his "unsporting" act.
"It is not just me, Indian coach John Wright himself has said that Kumble would have been the best captain," legendary spinner Bishen Singh Bedi said.
The legendary spinner said the team must be backed to the hilt if India is wo win a medal at the Athens Olympics.
Former India spinner Bishen Singh Bedi has said that it is wrong on part of the organisers to deprive Kolkata the right to host the India-England World Cup match and the local authorities should be given some more time to complete the renovation work at the historic Eden Gardens.
Livid with "hindsight critics" who are calling for Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman's head after India's 0-4 Test hammering in Australia, former skipper Bishen Singh Bedi said the "once-in-a-generation players" deserved to be respected.
The former India captain said it would be wrong to ask Parthiv Patel or Yuvraj Singh to open the batting in the third Test.
Former cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi, on Monday, said that all things nasty in cricket administration over the last few decades were by "design" and the reforms suggested by the Lodha committee should have been brought in 50 years ago.
Giving up cricket isn't easy for a cricketer especially when you are the son of a cricket legend.
Even as a commentator, Bedi continued to rail against spinners with dodgy bowling action and called chucking a bigger threat than illegal betting.
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
Hurt by Supreme Court's intervention in deciding the fate of BCCI president-in-exile N Srinivasan, former India captain Bishen Singh Bedi said it is time the "cricket board is brought under the RTI ambit".
Riding on his stupendous performance in the series against South Africa, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Thursday, rose to a career-high first in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings for bowlers.
Cricket legend Ajit Wadekar reflects on cricket's journey.
A day after the Prime Minister's Office sought to counter the perception that Manmohan Singh has been "weak" in his tenure, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday took potshots at him.
Spin legend Bishen Singh Bedi believes India skipper Virat Kohli is yet to face real competition and the upcoming tough tour of South Africa will test his batting as well as captaincy skills.
Former India cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi has alleged bias in BCCI's remuneration policy and questioned skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's cult status and leadership skills.
Joining Kumble as the 78th inductee will be the late Betty Wilson of Australia, one of the greatest women cricketers of all-time.
Bishen Singh Bedi, former captain of the Indian cricket team, hit out Ian Chappel, Imran Khan and other cricketers who have been demanding that Sachin Tendulkar opt out of One-day cricket.
The 75-year-old legendary former leg-spinner complained of "tiredness and fatigue" on Friday evening and his speech became a "little bit cluttered", his wife Sandhya Chandrsekhar Bhagwath said, describing the health scare as a "very, very minutest stroke".
BCCI president N Srinivasan is under pressure to quit. After the Supreme Court castigated him for his continuance in office on Tuesday morning, former cricketers and administrators are also demanding his resignation.
Karun Nair became only the second Indian to hit a triple century in Test cricket, when he smashed 303 not out on Day 4 of the fifth Test against England in Chennai on Monday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances