Bedi, attacked by Muralitharan as an 'ordinary' bowler, found support from fellow spinners Erapalli Prasanna and Maninder Singh, who said the Lankan was given a licence by the ICC to bend his arm.
At the receiving end of a scathing attack from recently retired off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, his long-time detractor and Indian spin legend Bishen Singh Bedi hit back, insisting that the Sri Lankan was indeed a "chucker".
Bedi, an untiring critic of Muralitharan who has repeatedly called him a "chucker" and a "javelin thrower", found support from two other Indian spinners, Erapalli Prasanna and Maninder Singh, who said the Sri Lankan was given a licence by the International Cricket Council to bend his arm.
In an uncharacteristic attack, Muralitharan described Bedi as a controversy monger and an ordinary bowler who would have been thrashed by any batsman had he been playing in the modern era.
Asked for his reaction to Murali's verbal volley, Bedi said, "I don't want to react. Don't want to comment. I don't want to say anything to be honest. You know my views. I don't want to stoop to his level. I don't call Murali a chucker. He is a chucker."
Former Indian off-spinner Prasanna threw his weight behind his former teammate, saying Murali's attack was "totally uncalled for".
Prasanna and Bedi were part of the legendary Indian spin quartet of the 1960s and 1970s.
"He [Murali] should have avoided it," Prasanna said. "Murali should have been a little more mature. He just can't make such loose comments that anybody could have achieved Bishen's feat. We all admire him for his achievements. He should have avoided making such comments.
"The fact of the matter is that the ICC bent its rules for Murali. With that, flexibility was allowed to him and most of the bowlers.
"He doesn't fit into the slot of conventional bowler, but fact of the matter is ICC bent the rules and permitted him. Therefore it's okay."
Prasanna said the ICC had modified the rules and allowed bowlers to take advantage of those rules in releasing the ball.
"Bedi is one of the best left-arm spinner India ever got," he added.
Former Indian left-arm spinner Maninder Singh said Bedi could also have taken a lot of wickets if he had been allowed to bend his arm.
"If he [Bedi] was allowed to bend his arm by the ICC, he would have taken five wickets in every [innings] of the 67 [Test] matches that he played in his career. Murali should keep his mouth shut really," he said.
"Whole world knows that he has the licence from the ICC to keep chucking and that's why he started his 'doosra'. Nobody stopped him. Wickets started increasing for him. It's best time for Murali to keep shut.
"He should understand he is talking about such a great bowler Bedi. I don't think he is doing justice to himself. I have lost respect for him after this verbal attack."
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh felt that Muralitharan had been very patient about the constant criticism from Bedi and must have finally vented his anger today.
"Bishen has been very strong in his criticism about Murali," Waugh said. "I don't necessarily agree to what he [Murali] said, but I think Murali must have held his tongue for 15 years and just gave it back today."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}