Bishan Bedi

The purity and perfection of Bedi's art was a connoisseur's dream. He was stealthy, silent and deadly, a master of deception who conjured variations in flight, loop, spin and pace without any perceptible change in action. He bowled with a big heart too, challenging the batsman to hit over the top by giving the ball plenty of air, and was a consistent wicket-taker for most of his career. Helped by a successful county stint with Northamptonshire, he finished with 1560 first-class wickets, more than any other Indian bowler. He was forthright and outspoken throughout his playing career, and inevitably courted controversies: objecting to the use of Vaseline by England bowler John Lever in 1976-7, declaring India's second innings at Kingston in protest against intimidatory bowling by the West Indians in 1976 and, famously, threatening to dump the Indian cricket team in the sea in 1990, when he was the coach. A generous man possessing infinite wisdom, his zest and passion for the game still remains undiminished, although his outburst against various aspects of the modern game sometimes make him seem prone to the incurable malaise of bitterness.
H Natarajan