• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Bedi vs Chandra vs Prasanna

Best Indian spinner?


  • Total voters
    24

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Yes, a question I've long found fascinating. These three formed, joint with the South African triplet of Schwarz, Vogler and Faulkner, the most potent spin attack in history during Indian cricket's most successful phase to date, the last 6-7 years notwithstanding.

So who was the best of the three? Am open to pretty much all myself, but I have read material suggesting Chandra was the most accomplished overseas performer, which to date has meant I've tended to consider him the best.

Venkat, the backup spinner, was always thought inferior by most despite the fact he was picked ahead of Prasanna on a number of occasions. So he's not included here.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
Bedi ran rampant in the fourth innings (average of 14). All good fingerspinners do well when pitch assists them, but Bedi did exceptionally even by the standards of fingerspinners on helpful pitches. Plus, he was the most beautiful to look at. As you mentioned, Chandra was more accomplished overseas, but it's close in terms of overall ability watching Bedi is a lot of fun, so I'm going to give it to him.
 

JBH001

International Regular
For me its between Prasanna (perhaps the best finger spinning off spinner of all time) and Chandra. Undecided at the moment.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
All time? Surely who played during covered wickets Anthony?

Laker, who played on uncovered and averaged, what, 17 in this country, must surely rank above Prasanna?
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Went for Prasanna based on Chappell's reckoning of him as the best finger spinner he faced.

Narrow criterion I know, but I didn't really see enough of them to comment for myself, and I confess to being less au fait with their bowling than I should be.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
TBF, I don't imagine more than 1 person on this forum did see much if more than a tiny little bit of any of the bowlers.

There's a few who might've seen the tail-end of their careers, but even our, ahem, elder statesmen like yourself and Sean E generally date from the mid-1970s. A couple more from the early-1970s, but just the one Indian.
 

sanga1337

U19 Captain
Its close between Bedi and Chandra IMO. But I think Bedi just beats Chandra. Apparently sometimes chandra said that he didn't know what was going to happen when he bowled which doesn't sound too good.
 

weldone

Hall of Fame Member
Why the question asks best Indian spinner?...It should've been 'the best Indian spinner among the triplet' (as the post by Richard mentions) as there are few who might consider Gupte or Kumble the best Indian spinner...
 
Last edited:

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
They produced very little between them in England. Chandra bowled England out at the Oval in 1971 to win the series after rain had saved India in the first two Tests but there's little of note beyond that. On a fairly cold first half of the summer in 1974 they were fodder and the likes of David Lloyd and Mike Denness made them look like very ordinary bowlers. In 1979 neither Bedi or Chandra were fit at the start of the tour, Chandra played the first Test when clearly not fit and wasn't seen again in the remaining three Tests, Bedi played in those three Tests but was largely ineffective. On a bouncy turning wicket Chandra is India's best bowler although it would have been interesting to see Kumble bowling on the Indian wickets of the early 70's.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Its close between Bedi and Chandra IMO. But I think Bedi just beats Chandra. Apparently sometimes chandra said that he didn't know what was going to happen when he bowled which doesn't sound too good.
He never said that . I have personally asked him that question around 1980 and he laughed and said it was just another of those myths
 

sanga1337

U19 Captain
He never said that . I have personally asked him that question around 1980 and he laughed and said it was just another of those myths
My bad... Guess my sources weren't too good then. Even so I would still rate Bedi higher as he seemed to be more like a traditional spinner where as chandra seemed to bowl at medium pace and didn't really give it flight. Still got a good record mind
 

ret

International Debutant
Chandra .... haven't watched any of them in action except on clips but i reckon Chandra would be the most dangerous amongst them
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
How did Murali Kartik, a decent bowler, but hardly a legend, get in with that great triumverate in the first place let alone get 20% of the vote?

And why is it that when he played for Lancashire he was called Kartik Murali?

Chandra was the one I voted for mainly because I recall watching that performance at the Oval in '71 - my Dad used to tell me that "Fergie" Gupte was the best Indian spinner ever mind you were he still with us he'd still swear blind that Amar Singh and Mohammed Nissar were the best pair of Indian pace bowlers ever!
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
He never said that . I have personally asked him that question around 1980 and he laughed and said it was just another of those myths
Well that puts that little myth to bed then!!!

SJS, I don't doubt your recollections, but what about the veracity of your source? :p
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
How did Murali Kartik, a decent bowler, but hardly a legend, get in with that great triumverate in the first place let alone get 20% of the vote?

And why is it that when he played for Lancashire he was called Kartik Murali?

Chandra was the one I voted for mainly because I recall watching that performance at the Oval in '71 - my Dad used to tell me that "Fergie" Gupte was the best Indian spinner ever mind you were he still with us he'd still swear blind that Amar Singh and Mohammed Nissar were the best pair of Indian pace bowlers ever!
Irrelevant voting options in polls are pretty populat around here as a bit of a giggle.

Welcome BTW.
 

bagapath

International Captain
Away Records


BS Bedi 1967-1979 37 64 10973 4350 129 6/127 10/194 33.72 2.37 85.0 6 1
BS Chandrasekhar 1967-1979 26 42 6778 3266 100 6/38 12/104 32.66 2.89 67.7 8 1
EAS Prasanna 1962-1978 27 45 7660 3182 94 8/76 11/140 33.85 2.49 81.4 5 1

Home Records


BS Chandrasekhar 1964-1979 32 55 1530.5 408 3933 142 8/79 11/235 27.69 2.56 64.6 8 1
BS Bedi 1966-1979 30 54 1731.5 649 3287 137 7/98 9/70 23.99 1.89 75.8 8 0
EAS Prasanna 1962-1977 22 41 1115.3 345 2560 95 6/74 10/174 26.94 2.29 70.4 5 1

In victories


BS Chandrasekhar 1964-1978 14 28 4451 1889 98 6/38 12/104 19.27 2.54 45.4 8 1
BS Bedi 1968-1978 17 34 5241 1713 97 6/42 9/70 17.65 1.96 54.0 6 0
EAS Prasanna 1962-1978 15 30 4083 1427 81 8/76 11/140 17.61 2.09 50.4 5 1

As expected, it is a very close call between chandra and bed with prasanna one step behind them. while aesthetics can dictate the choice of bedi (style, great economy rate and a good bowling average) and hard nosed professionalism can push for chandra's case (better strike rate and more wickets per match) i am going to make my choice depending on who would play in my dream indian xi.

with kapil taking the new ball for sure (and two out of srinath, amar singh or pathan to partner him) i will go for mankad as the allrounder. I can choose one more spinner to keep it a balanced 3 pacers + 2 spinners combo bowling attack. since mankad is a left arm spinner, like bishan, i would go for chandra (ahead of kumble) as my first choice spinner. If India develops two genuine fast bowling stars, then i can stick to kapil as the all rounder and choose both bedi and chandra as spinners. till then, chandra it will have to be.
 
Last edited:

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
How did Murali Kartik, a decent bowler, but hardly a legend, get in with that great triumverate in the first place let alone get 20% of the vote?
Irrelevant options are always a part of almost all CW polls, and we've a fair portion of our number who like voting for them. :p So in a poll like this where not that many people will vote on the serious options, they're likely to get a decent portion.
And why is it that when he played for Lancashire he was called Kartik Murali?
Lancs fans were pining for Muttiah Murali, and tried their best to pretend this imposter was he.
Chandra was the one I voted for mainly because I recall watching that performance at the Oval in '71 - my Dad used to tell me that "Fergie" Gupte was the best Indian spinner ever mind you were he still with us he'd still swear blind that Amar Singh and Mohammed Nissar were the best pair of Indian pace bowlers ever!
I think most people who know their cricket history agree that Gupte was superior to any of Bedi, Chandra and Prasanna, but Gupte was always a lone warrior.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Well that puts that little myth to bed then!!!

SJS, I don't doubt your recollections, but what about the veracity of your source? :p
Oh sorry I misunderstood. You mean whether Chandra was telling the truth. Didn't sound like that. He did say something about his wicket keepers (Engineer and Kirmani) knowing what he was going to bowl since they had a system of signals going.
 

Top