Bedi blasts BCCI for axing Prasad, Robin Singh

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi on Friday lambasted a "feudalistic" BCCI for unceremoniously dumping former bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh.

The spin legend lashed out at the cricket board for the rude manner in which it sacked both the coaches, who learnt from the media that they had been axed.

"The BCCI does not have even basic etiquette. Not even a simple 'Thank You' was there (in the sacking message)," Bedi fumed while speaking at the launch of journalist C Rajshekhar Rao's book 'Dhoni'.

"This is feudalistic attitude. We don't seem to love it but we seem to live it," he rued, adding that "if a revolution has to come, it has to come through youngsters."

BCCI had issued a terse press release, saying both were not needed any more and an upset Prasad lamented why the news came via media and why the board did not bother to offer any explanation.

Not a great admirer of Twenty20 and apprehensive of the overwhelming popularity of events like Indian Premier League, Bedi predicted BCCI would rue its decision of promoting this slam-bang format.

"BCCI has created a monster and they will have to manage it. Everyone is sleeping and eating Twenty20 cricket. If a bowler is getting four crores for bowling four overs, why should he bowl 35 overs?" he said.

Talking on captaincy and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership, Bedi said, "Captaincy is not joy. If you do well, your colleagues may appreciate you but some others may wait for the moment when the chips are down. This vindictive attitude is an immature way of dealing with the human beings.

"My suggestion to Dhoni is that he should take everything in his stride. He should let his bat and wicket-keeping do the talking," he added.

In a lighter vein, he also said, "India does not need his bowling. We have better bowlers than Dhoni."

Talking about the attributes of a leader, Bedi said, "A leader is born, although some can be made. A leader must have the gumption of sacrificing himself. All good leaders are born with a decency to sacrifice themselves in crunch situations."