The spin quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan played just one Test together, against England at Edgbaston in 1967 under Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's captaincy, but theirs was a bond that went beyond the cricket field.
Bedi's passing at the age of 77 on Monday was met with extreme sadness and shock by Chandrasekhar. A year older than Bedi, Chandrasekhar is suffering from age-related ailments.
"He was a great friend. I used to talk to him regularly. This is such a shock to hear from you," Chandrasekhar, sounding frail over the phone from Bengaluru, reacted.
Bedi and Chandrasekhar played 42 Tests for India together, and interestingly ended with the same number of wickets in these matches. While the wily left-arm spinner's 184 scalps came at an average of 27.22, Chandra averaged 28.7 with his fastish leg-breaks. "I last spoke to him before his stroke I think. He couldn't carry on talking after that. He used to say hello and then that's all," Chandra recalled, repeatedly adding that he doesn't remember much of the past.
Bring up Bedi’s bowling and Chandrasekhar grins. "He was a great bowler. The whole world knows about it... how great he was. He used to change his flight and tease the batter. Even after getting hit for a six, he used to like it. He would tease the batter with further flight and then get him out," said the 78-year-old, who claimed 242 Test wickets overall.
{{/usCountry}}Bring up Bedi’s bowling and Chandrasekhar grins. "He was a great bowler. The whole world knows about it... how great he was. He used to change his flight and tease the batter. Even after getting hit for a six, he used to like it. He would tease the batter with further flight and then get him out," said the 78-year-old, who claimed 242 Test wickets overall.
{{/usCountry}}Belonging to an era when most spin bowlers relied on time-honoured tenets of spin – flight, drift and dip – Bedi was the flag-bearer of the classical approach.
What was Bedi’s biggest strength? Chandra doesn’t hesitate even for a moment in his response.
“His flight. Really, the flight. He used to tease the batsman with his flight and variation in flight. He would use the crease also.”
With 67 Tests, Bedi registered the most appearances among the formidable quartet. Chandra appeared in 58, Prasanna in 49 and Venkataraghavan in 57.
Chandra – he was affected by polio in his right hand as a child -- was the most unique of the four spinners. He had a flatter trajectory and bamboozled the batters with his mix of leg-breaks and googlies. Chandra feels each of them brought different strengths that helped them thrive at the highest level.
“It was wonderful (bowling with each of them). Each was a different type of bowler. I was a different type. Prasanna was a different type. Bishan was a left-armer...a different type. Venkat was a different type. We enjoyed each other's bowling. And everyone must have enjoyed all four of us together," he smiled.
Bishan, who was known to be a great raconteur, was also great company off the field. "He was a very friendly guy. He used to mix with people very easily. Anybody would like his company always. He was a wonderful guy."
Prasanna and Venkataraghavan – the other two surviving members of the quartet – are 83 and 78 respectively. While grainy videos and scant archival footage won’t help the young generation fully understand the nuances of Bedi and the others, they should know that India’s reputation as a land of spin was predominantly forged by the exploits of the quartet.