Can’t win them all

Sir — The Pakistani media’s scathing criticism of the home team after its defeat in the “revival” series against India shows that despite all the talk of goodwill, a loss — especially against the arch rivals across the border — is still considered nothing short of a national disaster (“Pak Media slams ‘historic defeat’”, April 18). Typically, the press have demanded that a few heads roll — those of the skipper, coach and perhaps, half the squad. In the past, such demands were coupled with more disruptive behaviour by enraged cricket-lovers — issuing threats to cricketers, burning their effigies and so on. What the fans forget is that the players, sandwiched between the impossible expectations of the home crowd and an unforgiving media, find it very difficult to perform to their potential at home. Pakistan’s poor home record, which is in sharp contrast to its spectacular overseas record, bears out this point. Such mindless criticism also fosters divisions in the team, which can cause harm. A little more restraint from the media, and less pressure from the fans, would enable the same cricketers to do justice to their talent.

Yours faithfully,
Manoranjan Das, Calcutta

Sir — By winning both the one-day and test series in Pakistan, Sourav Ganguly and his team have not only ended the drought of overseas victories, but they have also shaken off the tag of being lions at home and lambs abroad (“Ghost from past exorcised” April 17). However, the Indian team’s success is not as unexpected as a few cricket analysts are making it out to be. For the last two years the Indians have been playing exceptionally well, justifying the current crop of players’ reputation for talent. With a little bit of luck, the Indians could have even pocketed the series against Australia. The Indians have always had a formidable batting line-up. The only thing they lacked was self-belief. Once they managed to acquire that, the rest fell into place. But it must be admitted that this was the weakest Pakistani side India has played against.

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — In the euphoria of victory, we should not forget John Wright’s contribution to the success of the Indian team. The credit for uniting this talented bunch of Indian cricketers goes to the Kiwi coach. The present team is refreshingly free of ego hassles of the kind that arose in the past because some players considered themselves bigger than the team. Also, the present Indian coach does not play favourites as did his predecessors, selecting players who belonged to the same region as him. The contract of this unassuming New Zealander should be extended when it comes up for renewal later this year.

Yours faithfully,
B.N. Roy, Raipur

Sir — India received help from unexpected quarters in the decisive third test at Rawalpindi. If Yaseer Hameed had held on to the catch early in Rahul Dravid’s innings, the outcome would have been very different.

Yours faithfully,
Rahul Dutt, Calcutta

Sir — Vincent Van Gogh’s statement, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together”, can be well applied to the present Indian cricket team. The series win against Pakistan was fashioned not by individual players like Rahul Dravid or Virender Sehwag, but the Indian team as a whole — the bowlers, fielders, captain, and even the team management and support staff. Now, no one will doubt that India is the second best team in the world after Australia.

Yours faithfully,
Shardul Singh, Calcutta

Sir — The victory in Pakistan, made possible by Sourav Ganguly and his team, is surely as great an achievement in Indian cricket as Kapil Dev’s winning the Prudential Cup in 1983. Atal Bihari Vajpayee must be congratulated for insisting on the Indian cricketers’ tour to Pakistan. The cricketers have repaid his confidence by turning his slogan, “India shining”, into a reality.

Yours faithfully,
K.V. Satyamurty, Mumbai

Sir — Javed Miandad’s comment, “There’s an Irfan Pathan in every galli of Pakistan”, has fallen flat. With his stupendous performance, the Indian speedster has forced the Pakistani coach to eat his own words.

Yours faithfully,
D.K. Vidhyarthi, Muzaffarnagar

Sir —The camaraderie and bonhomie witnessed during the tour of Pakistan was unprecedented and Indians need to learn a few lessons from these. The last time the Pakistan cricket team visited India, the test match played at Eden Gardens was marred by crowd violence and the Shiv Sena damaged the pitch at another venue. In contrast, the Pakistani crowds have been well-behaved and extremely sporting. Despite the terrorist threat looming large, the tour went off without a hitch. Hopefully, the goodwill generated in this tour will usher in permanent peace in the sub-continent.

Yours faithfully,
S. Ram, Calcutta

Sir — If the selectors continue with their policy of giving Sourav Ganguly a free hand in team selection, the Indians will scale higher peaks of success in the near future.

Yours faithfully,
Sumant Poddar, Calcutta

Sir — The Indian team may have won in Pakistan, but there are many areas in which it needs improvement. Although youngsters like Irfan Pathan, and Laxmipathy Balaji proved that they were more than suitable replacements for Ashish Nehra and an injured Zaheer Khan, the fact that as many as seven catches were floored on the fourth day of the final test shows that in the fielding department at least, the Indians have a lot of work to do.

Yours faithfully,
Syed Tanveeruddin, Mysore

Sir — Every captain, from Lala Amarnath to Sachin Tendulkar, has had good cricketers playing in their teams — and yet they could not achieve the success Sourav Ganguly has had. It is Ganguly’s shrewd tactical skills and his ability to lift the spirits of his team members that explain his success. Critics often say that Ganguly has not been as successful with the bat. Perhaps they need to be reminded that of the seven tests he has won overseas, he has handsome contributions in five — 84 in Dhaka, 98 not-out in Kandy, 75 not-out in Port of Spain, 128 in Leeds and 77 in Rawalpindi. Moreover in the 15 tests he has won, his batting average has been an impressive fifty plus.

Yours faithfully,
Kajal Chatterjee, Sodepur

Damned picture

Sir — India’s self-styled secularists back off at the slightest hint of trouble. Or how does one explain the decision of one of the most prominent secular icons, M.F. Husain, to withdraw Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities from the theatres after the film was criticized by Islamic organizations (“Husain stops Meenaxi”, April 17)? The eminent painter had no reservations about painting Hindu goddesses in the nude and always found support from his secular friends who held up the artist’s right to freedom of expression. Those who agitated against Husain for his Saraswati paintings may be criticized, but will the latter come down heavily on Husain now?

Yours faithfully,
Udita Agrawal, New Delhi

Sir — The haste with which M.F. Husain withdrew his film, Meenaxi, from theatres after it was criticized by the All India Ulema Council was shocking. He did not seem to be under any such compulsion when Hindus protested against some of his paintings that they found derogatory. It is precisely such double standards that have contributed to the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in our country.

Yours faithfully,
Vasan Nair, Calcutta

Sir —M.F. Husain’s meek submission to the All India Ulema Council’s protests is hardly surprising. This is because Hussain knows well that the Council is not akin to a Hindu organization that will make angry noises but allow him to go free. He is fully aware of the implications of a fatwa. It remains to be seen how Husain’s progressive comrades — the self-proclaimed secularists — react to the Ulema’s interference.

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Cambridge, US