5 lean patches that forced great Indian cricketers into retirement

#2 Bishan Singh Bedi

Bishan Singh Bedi at the ICC Annual Awards

According to many, Bishan Singh Bedi is one of the greatest spinners to have ever played for India and in fact, he is often counted among the greatest left-arm orthodox bowlers to have ever played the game. Bedi's career haul of 266 wickets in 67 Tests makes him one of the most prolific spinners from India and throughout his career, he had been one of India's few match-winners during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

However, it was his poor form from 1978 onwards coupled with the disastrous show in Pakistan that seemed to have sealed his fate. After taking 10 wickets in the last two Tests in Australia at the start of the year, Bedi could only take 6 wickets in 3 Tests in Pakistan and from then on his form went downhill. In the last 11 matches in his career, he picked up only 30 wickets at an average of 43.76 (career average 28.71) and had failed to record even a single five-wicket haul.

He played his last Test in 1979 and soon retired soon after.