Out of form players shouldn't take digs at other players

The stand- in captain against Sri Lanka, Virender Sehwag took a jibe at Indias skipper MS Dhoni for suggesting that senior batsmen were being rotated because they were slow movers on the field. Sehwag asked, " Did you see the catch I took today?" Does the Nawab of Nazafgarh remember his shot to deep thirdman in the second ball of the Indias innings which got him out. Being a captain isn't he supposed to inspire his teammates? Sehwag also seems to have forgotten that after his 219 against West Indies in Indore, he has scored just 202 runs in his last 10 ODI innings - home and away combined - at an average of 20.20. After such performances should he deserve a place in the Team India? Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Drop under- performing cricketers

Team India under the captaincy of MS Dhoni is heading into a disastrous situation with disgraceful performances in every match they have played in Australia in the CB tri- series. The recent statement of captain MS Dhoni that all the senior players are very poor fielders and need rest as per rotation policy shows that there is a rift in the team and players instead of focusing on winning the matches are playing blame to score the point.

Meanwhile, the entire situation is being mutely watched by gutless Indian selectors who have no power to under- performing players. The urgent need of the hour is that in this crisis, the captain must take all the players into confidence and those who do not perform on the field must be dropped from the team, failing which there will be greater rift in the team between senior and junior players.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Its just a game

One wonders why we, as a nation, squander so much time, energy and resources on the game of cricket, a colonial game played only in a dozen of former British colonies when there are so many pressing problems beating down this nation of 120 crores namely abysmal poverty, illiteracy, poor healthcare facilities and absence of basic civic facilities among others. Is it sane to swoon over a colonial game that is played by a few and benefits a still smaller group and reduces millions to the status of idle spectators? A few cricket players who manage to play for India grow filthy rich while thousands of players in other games/ sports slog all their lives to keep their body and soul together.

Today cricket has been completely commercialized as witnessed during the IPL with players being auctioned, bought and sold. Marx had once said that religion is the opium of the rich to keep the poor down. Similarly, cricket is a game of the rich, played by the rich and played for the rich. The hoi polloi so easily fall under its spell.

RJ Khurana, Bhopal

Incentives for voting

One fails to understand why development works should come to a halt because of elections. People deserve better use of black money held by politicians and corporators for betterment of roads, drinking water etc and this can be done only by permitting such things during election. Even giving money to voters and poor people will relieve the holding of black money by the rich politicians. One would advise that the EC should distribute and undertake development works from the cash siezed for encouraging the voters to cast their votes. One finds that poor people come and stand in hot sun without even drinking water for voting.

The voters need proper facilities like water just like the EC staff. If these are given, voters will come in huge numbers.

G. Pal Stripping ECs powers? This refers to media- reports about the Union Government allegedly trying to strip ECs power with respect to taking action against violations of code of conduct during elections. Everyone knows that legal and judicial process in India is too slow. Any effort to switch power to act upon violation of code of conduct from EC to judicial process will rather give free hand to violators of code of conduct, because in many cases judicial process may not be completed even till tenure of winning candidates violating code may end. Various commissions having constitutional status including EC are there to ensure early disposal of cases without involving costly, time- consuming and cumbersome judicial process. Rather EC should be given more powers.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi History repeats itself The talk in the Congress circles about curtailing the powers of the Election Commission is a case of history repeating itself after a gap of 37 years.

When the then party supremo and the PM was unseated by the verdict of the Allahabad HC on 12th June 1975, the Constitution itself was amended to make it almost impossible for anyone to challenge the election of the PM in a court of law. And now, more than three and half decades later, it is the turn of the grandson and the crown prince of the Party to enjoy immunity from another constitutional entity, viz., the EC. Arun Malankar Cricket disappoints but hockey pleases While our cricketers are being 'bullied'in Australia, Indian hockey is enjoying a dream run as India pumped in 6 goals against France to register their 3rd win in the Olympic qualifiers and are now on course to book a berth for the London Olympics.

The Govt. of India should promote hockey in a big way. Corporate houses, too, should chip in their bit so that more and more youngsters are attracted towards this sport. With the amount of talent available in our country, the day is not far off when we once again rule this sport and what is needed is some encouragement and financial support.

S. N. Kabra