Experimenting at what cost?

Anil Kumble's inclusion in the one-day team is a welcome move.-AP

I was pained to read Dhoni's comment: "Results do not count every time... " (Refer `What they said', a box item, in the Cover Story, November 18).

Here I would like to state what the legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova once said (I read this in your magazine years ago): "Whoever says `It doesn't matter if you win or lose' has already lost!" We must experiment but not by losing repeatedly.

Duke Jonathan Jeyaraj, HyderabadLaudable

The feat of Manoj Kumar and Shaibaaz Tumbi is laudable. Too much hype should not spoil these two youngsters' future. I pray that these two boys should continue to play well and win many more laurels and bring glory to India.

S. Venugopalan, ChennaiSpot on

The author (Cover Story, Nov. 18) as well as the past cricketers have hit the nail on the head. Yes, too much of experimentation is the main reason for our recent decline. We definitely missed the services of Kumble during the ICC Champions Trophy. He would have proved formidable for the opponents, especially in India. I am now happy that the new Chairman of the Selection Committee has rectified the folly of Kiran More by bringing back Kumble into the one-day team.

Capt. N. Viswanathan, ChennaiA tough task ahead

As pointed out by the author, S. Ram Mahesh (Cover Story, Nov. 18), the Indians really need to pull up their socks and it will be a tough task for them in South Africa against the pace attack of Ntini, Pollock and Nel.

The dropping of Laxman from the one-day squad is not the right move. But the Selectors have done a good job in bringing back Kumble.

S. Sudarshan, CoimbatoreSelectors and coach should be accountable

As pointed out by our eminent cricketers such as Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri, too much of experimentation is the main cause for our debacle. Apart from that is the unwarranted hype with regard to players like Suresh Raina, who according to me has won just one match for India. Here I would like to blame the coach. Just after his tiff with Ganguly, he started projecting Sehwag as captaincy material, which saw a sharp decline in Sehwag's performance. Recently, he has started projecting Raina as an all-rounder. Incidentally, I am surprised to read the comments of V. B. Chandrasekhar. If he was not happy with the composition of the team as also the persistence of Pathan at No. 3, as a selector then why did he go along with the other selectors? The selectors and coach should be made accountable. Till then, our team's performance will always fluctuate.

N. Mahadevan, ChennaiDynamic leader

Polly Umrigar is no more. We did not have the pleasure of watching Polly's innings on TV, but we had some Films Division documentaries, that were screened in theatres in those days. I remember (courtesy AIR commentary) a Test match at the Eden Gardens against England. Since Contractor was injured, Polly Umrigar was in charge (being the seniormost cricketer) on the final day. The Test was drifting to a draw, but once Umrigar took charge, he brought in Ramakant Desai as a "shock bowler"and not a "stock bowler". The move worked and India won that Test. That's what dynamic leadership is all about.

B. Phani Babu, Pune