One of cricket’s iconic photographs is of Bishan Singh Bedi arriving at the crease to deliver the ball, feet scissored, right arm upright as if settling on a target, head looking over his leading shoulder, about to let go of the ball. The slow left-arm orthodox spinner, one of the greatest to grace the game, was languid in his approach and delivery. This belied the spiteful bite and the disguised deception he could impart to a ball.
You could take a still photograph of Bedi at any point in his approach and it would be a picture of poise and balance. If you gave a sculptor countless hours to chisel away at marble, they would not be able to produce a more perfect action, devoid of frills and fancies, economical to the point of being minimalist.
