Sir, - A poem on Kapil Dev "Cricketer of the Century" Unanimous decision of the jury It was just a formality, We all knew the reality. From a farmer's lad, Who fought for two chapattis & proved to the World that "India can produce "Quickies". From a "Gully" of Haryana To the grounds of Lord's "5000 and more runs and 400 plus wickets" - A world record indeed Hundred millions are proud of the "Haryana Hurricane" & his deeds That catch of Richards, 175 not out and the World Cup of 83 we hoped we had been with thee with Gavaskar, Chandra and Bedi That ugly guy, who said something About matchfixing We knew, he was wrong. We were moved by your "tears" Also knew in the heart of our hearts That 'Kapil Dev Ka Jawab Nahin' & We will have to say cheers, cheers and cheers again & again. Long live Kapil & his terrific game Memories of his batting & fantastic bowling, Fighting spirit and all-round performance The lord of the Hall of Fame As an 'Idol' for all budding cricketers of the next century, as "such a star" Is rarely seen in the sky.
AVINASH BHOME PUNECricket astrologersSir, - About half an hour to one hour before the commencement of an international cricket match, 'experts' start discussing all about the match, with an all-knowledgeable 'anchor'. Usually they start commenting on the pitch condition. Then one by one about all those 22 players, captains' capabilities, their options to field or bat, team structure, and the possible outcome of the match etc. It is very easy to comment and criticise the players and their approach. I wonder if the 'experts' played as well as they comment when they represented their country. I do not understand why they act like astrologers. Their analysis is mostly wrong and if by any chance the predictions come true, there is nothing to stop them.
The same 'experts' know very well and say that cricket is a game of great uncertainty. Further they declare that the match is not over until the last ball is bowled. The past performance of a player and his possible good career bear no meaning. The performance on the day of the match is the most important criterion. So what is the use of these so-called 'experts' analysing or predicting the outcome of the match?
I hope that the so-called 'experts' realise their worth and stop such discussions and use their knowledge somewhere else, like writing books on cricket and training youngsters, etc.
ISHWAR C. ARABALLI BANGALOREKudos to SachinSir, - Congratulations to Sachin Tendulkar on reaching 20,000 runs in international cricket during the Chennai Test. At the same time it was sad that Rahul Dravid could not reach his fifth consecutive century, which could have placed him in the record books along with Everton Weekes. Also Sanjay Bangar is proving to be useful in the Test side and has adapted well as an opener. He should be given more opportunity to bowl as he is in the side mainly as an allrounder.
P. KANNAN SRIVILLIPUTTURExcellent coverageSir, - I am a regular reader of your magazine for the past two decades. Your coverage of the various sporting events, especially cricket, is excellent. The reviews on India's tour of England and the ICC Champions Trophy and the photographs were very good. Keep up the good work for the coming World Cup too. Please publish more photo features and profiles on stars regularly. Wishing you all the best.
SOORAJ KUMAR COCHINDD should improveSir, - The entire series between West Indies and India is telecast live and exclusive on Doordarshan Sports but the quality of their presentation leaves a lot to be desired. There was a complete audio failure during the toss in the Chennai Test and only the fact that the anchorperson spoke to Ganguly gave a hint that India had won the toss.On most occasions the telecast was abruptly cut to make way for a 'commercial'.
To add salt to injury, for quite sometime during the match, the video was accompanied by audio commentary from the Asian Games! Remember, Doordarshan Sports is a pay channel and the poor quality of the telecast is Account Payee, the viewers.
V. S. GOPALARATHINAM CHENNAIA rude shockSir, - The Indian men's hockey team's loss to South Korea in the final of the Asian Games in Busan came as a rude shock to the millions of Indian fans the world over.
Trailing by three goals, the Indians fought back splendidly to level the scores in quick time before going down by a cruel penalty corner goal in the dying minutes of a grim battle. It is, indeed, ironical that Jugraj, who scored the equaliser, was the villain in the end, giving away the penalty corner.
Having triumphed over the mighty Pakistan in the semi-final, a gold was definitely in sight but it proved elusive. Still, let us congratulate the players who put in their very best and came so close to retaining the gold they won at Bangkok.
RANJI PHILIP STEPHEN CALICUT
Comments
SHARE