Ashwin's clean action is a welcome relief, says Bedi

CHENNAI: Praise from a master is often one of the best rewards for a youngster. Ravindra Jadeja has had a great year so far with praise pouring in from many quarters but the words of Bishan Singh Bedi, considered by many to be one of the best left-arm-spinners to have played the game, might rank right up there in his list of accolades this year.
"Jadeja has done very well.I think he has great potential and can get even better. Plus he's a tremendous athlete too," Bedi told the TOI on the sidelines of the Nani Palkhiwala memorial lecture in the city.
The former India skipper had good things to say about Jadeja's spin partner, R Ashwin too. "Like Jadeja he has also bowled well but what I really like is that he has a clean action, unlike some of the other successful off-spinners," he added.
For years Bedi has been outspoken about eradicating suspect actions and empowering umpires. Bedi revealed he even had an argument with Harbhajan Singh. "Bhajji came up to me and asked me if I had anything against him. I told him that it was nothing personal and it was about getting the ICC to do something about suspect actions. It is hard, however, to convince the only Indian spinner with a Test hat-trick," he said while delivering the lecture.
Cricket is a gentleman's game and there is a direct association with "honesty, integrity and even a sense of spirituality", according to Bedi, who referred to both the recent scandals in Indian cricket as well as the Stuart Broad controversy from Friday.
It is a well known fact that the great spinner has never been a fan of the IPL and he didn't miss the opportunity to take a dig at N Srinivasan. "Good administrators are good servants of the game, not bosses of the game. I wouldn't dare tell Mr Srinivasan how to run his cement business but speaking for cricketers, I feel cricket is our business."
Bedi feels any culture, good or bad, starts from the top and has a trickle-down effect so he feels the "clean-up has to happen at the top". He went on to speak of his own career, his interactions with legends of the game like Don Bradman but couldn't escape a question regarding Parvez Rasool.
Rasool became the first cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to get picked for India and the off-spinner said he owes a lot to Bedi, who has overseen his development as coach of the troubled state.
He was also quick to shoot down any suggestion of hype. "I think Rasool's is a fantastic human story. I don't think the media is overdoing it and he has the performances to back it up," he said.