Cricket as a way of living and the integrity involved in playing the beautiful game: Bishan Singh Bedi opens up

Cricket has possibly evolved more than any other sport over the years. From being a game accessible only to England's elite in the late 1800s to the behemoth it has now become, very little has remained the same in the sport.

However, cricket and everyone related to cricket can take pride in the fact that the sport is still played with the same spirit as it used to be played so many years ago. In addition to ICC and MCC leaving no stone unturned to preserve the ‘gentleman’ spirit, past players have ensured cricket is played as it used to be by simply being involved in the game in different capacities.

Sportskeeda caught up with former Indian left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, and he offered us an insight into the beautiful game and how it has been changing over the years, and how corruption has taken over the game.

“Cricket is a beautiful phenomenon. It's a beautiful way of life, you don't play this game of life, you live it. It’s a way of living. It's all about honesty. There is an English proverb called 'This is not cricket'. I haven’t stopped learning from the game. It's such a beautiful way to live. The day we ask ourselves the question, 'Is this cricket?' before we do it, that is the day we will become successful human beings,” says Bedi.

Cricket has often been used as a synonym for honesty and integrity, and thus even earned the title of the “gentleman’s game.” The phrase “playing cricket” has been used off the field to describe something which is done with honesty.

“A former Australian Prime Minister by the name Robert Menzies gave a very interesting statement by saying that this world would have been a much happier place to live in if USA and Russia played cricket. And when he said that, he didn't mean playing on the field, but he meant being honest. Cricket is all about honesty and integrity and it is synonymous with honesty,” feels Bedi.

Bedi went on to recall something Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman once said in his film titled "87 not out." The former Indian spinner spoke very highly of Sir Donald and even recalled meeting him a couple of times.

“I feel that Sir Donald Bradman was the epitome of cricket. There is a film of his which I have and in this film which is titled “87 not out” there was a question asking him about how he would like to be known in one word. And he said ‘integrity’ He was by far the best person I have met in my life,” said Bedi.

Corruption, and the spirit of the game

Corruption . It is unfortunate, but also inevitable that corruption has crept its way into cricket. While cricketers of today are paid on par with international athletes in the US and Europe, there is, even more, money on offer, in the dirty underworld of betting and fixing. The biggest threat to the game is corruption and everyone involved with cricket – governing bodies, players, coaches, etc. have to make every effort to heed out corruption.

“Anything which is taking place under the table is not cricket. Anything which is dishonest is not cricket. Ball tampering is not cricket. Match fixing, bribery, chucking, etc. is not cricket. Whatever is happening politically in the country today is not cricket,” exclaimed Bedi.

As a matter of fact, the Delhi State cricket association has been affected by corruption over the past decade or so, and Bishan Singh Bedi, along with other key people such as Kirti Azad and a few former cricketers have been trying to battle the corruption.

“Corruption is happening all over, not only the DDCA. If you look at the BCCI now, why did the Supreme Court have to jump in the first place? It’s all because of the corruption and malpractices which are occurring in cricket today. They were forced to jump into the picture. They have gone to the bottom of it all to ensure cricket remains a clean game. In fact, cricket was never dirty before but nowadays, it has become a trend, and people are shamelessly accepting it. You cannot say that ball tampering and bribing and cheating is part and parcel of the game of cricket. If you believe so, you should go play another sport then where it works, not cricket.”

Speaking about the spirit of the game, most recently, there was a controversy regarding South African captain Faf Du Plessis where he was fined 100% of his match fees for applying saliva to the ball with mint in his mouth. The former Indian spinner was of the opinion that applying saliva itself is not in the spirit of the game, and should not be allowed.

“The ICC will have to put their foot down and stop people from putting saliva. When the Du Plessis controversy broke out, I even tweeted saying it’s terribly unhygienic and should not be done. If you want to use something – you play, you sweat, and you use the sweat to shine the ball. What they’re doing nowadays is nothing but ball tampering. Cricket does not teach us all this. It is the purest form of sporting activity, and we cannot afford to indulge in these malpractices.”

Out of the other few things which Bishan Singh Bedi felt strongly about was the pitches which are being produced in India or the “rank turners” as such. He felt that the curators need to be smarter, and not listen to the captains or the home teams when it comes to preparing the pitch.

“If we look at the pitches abroad in England, Australia, New Zealand, the pitches are not purposely made to bounce a lot. They are naturally like that, mainly due to the climatic conditions in those countries. The pitches in those countries have remained same for all these years. For example, we know that the pitch in Perth will bounce a lot and the pitch in Sydney would assist spinners. But in India, it’s different. The pitches are doctored with and made to assist spinners. And that becomes a ‘home advantage,” opined the legendary left-armer.

The toss, which has been an integral part of the game might be discarded soon to remove the aspect of "home advantage." In fact, the England County Championship this year saw the rule introduced where the visiting captains were allowed to choose what they wanted to do in the first innings of the match. Interestingly enough, Bedi was of the opinion that the toss should not be removed from the game

“Home advantage globally speaking has become a phenomenon. They have been stretching it too far, and now there is even a strong possibility that the toss will be thrown out of the window to remove such a kind of advantage. That’s pushing ICC against the wall. The toss is a traditional part of the game. It’s there in every sport and the toss in cricket is very vital. iI should not become such that whoever wins the toss wins the game.”

Reminiscing his playing days

The legendary spinner, who made his debut in 1967 featured in 67 Tests and took 266 wickets at an average of 28.71 and a phenomenal economy rate of 2.14. A Master of deception, Bedi produced variations in flight, loop, spin and pace without any perceptible change in action. His action was so relaxed and co-ordinated that he was able to bowl all day with rhythm and control. He credited all his success to nothing else but hard work and practice.

“I was blessed to have a natural smooth bowling action, but that was backed by a lot of hard work. I started playing cricket at the age of 12, and to become better; I used to practice 7-8 hours a day. Since there was nothing else to do back then, whenever I had time, I used to practice. There were no distractions at all.

“During the Republic Day one year, I had visited the then President of India Dr Abdul Kalam at his residence and he inquisitively asked me, ‘Mr. Bedi, what makes a good spinner,’ and I replied ‘ Hard work....and a little more hard work.’ That that message is not for just cricketers, it is for everyone, in every field, you get into you need to study well, have immense knowledge of the subject and work hard towards your goal.”

Bedi was part of what was known as the legendary spin quartet of India back in the 1970s which comprised of Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Erapalli Prasanna Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and Bedi, of course. Between them, they played 231 Test matches and took 853 wickets. Bedi heaped praise on his former colleagues, who he still keeps in contact with.

“Of course. I am still in touch with them. My life still revolves around cricket and I’m very thankful for it. The true magic of spin bowling was something Prasanna, Chandrasekhar, and Venkataraghavan had. And what many people don’t know about them is that they all were very smart as well. They were one of the few people in the team who were engineers by profession. It was an honour to share the field with them,” said Bedi.

He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team for 22 test matches between 1975-1978. He enjoyed reasonable success back then, achieving six wins, five losses, and 11 draws. However, in an unfortunate incident back in 1978, he became the first ever captain to concede an international match against Pakistan.

He conceded the match in protest at the bowling of Sarfraz Nawaz who had bowled four bouncers in succession with not one being called wide by the umpires

“We just needed 20 runs to win six wickets in hand, and they didn't just ball out of reach bouncers, they bowled way above the head. Like I said before, that’s not cricket,” said Bedi.

Apart from being the captain for three years, Bedi played under five different captains namely Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Chandu Borde, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Ajit Wadekar, and Sunil Gavaskar. Bedi heaped praise on his first captain and felt that he was the best captain under whom he had played.

“When you're a captain of a team, you must have the resources too. Indian captains have always had this shortcoming there is a certain resource missing in the team, and the team is not completely balanced. I feel the best captain according to my humble opinion is Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi,” claimed Bedi.

He recalled the inspiring message which Tiger Pataudi gave the team which brought everyone together. Interestingly, it was the same message used by Shah Rukh Khan's character in the movie Chak De India to bring a sense of togetherness in the team.

“The ultimate test of a good leader is when he is able to make a defeated team win. Tiger Pataudi sent an amazing message to us by telling us that we’re not playing for any state, but we’re playing for India. He kept saying that we have only to think of India and not the state that we come from. And he was right. When you represent the country, you cannot speak about which state you’re from,” said Bedi.

After having been a part of the Indian team for over 12 years in the 1970s, Bishan Singh Bedi’s life still revolves around cricket and he is loving every minute of it. His message to the world is to gain immense knowledge and work hard before getting into anything. Just like he told the former President of India, the key to success is hard work.....and more hard work.

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