Good in his trade

Sir ? Had Karol Wojtyla not become pope, he would have made an excellent marketing manager. One only has to see how Catholicism is flourishing today to appreciate his expertise in popularizing his faith. He did this not by force, but by respecting local cultures. The pope?s decision to absorb tribal mores into the faith in Africa was a masterstroke. Perhaps, there is a lesson in this for our Hindutva hawks who have the same goal but a very different way of achieving it.

Yours faithfully,
Shonali Sengupta, Calcutta

A new star

Sir ? Sourav Ganguly?s poor form with the bat seems to have come as a blessing in disguise for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The latter?s 148 runs in the Kochi one-day international, after he was pushed up the batting order, should stump the national selectors who had overlooked him earlier. This, however, is not the first time the selectors, most of whom were ordinary cricketers during their playing days, have got it wrong. But now that they have found a talented wicketkeeper-batsman in Dhoni, they should stick with him. They should also start looking for a genuine all-rounder, considering that the next world cup is only a few years away. Perhaps, searching the districts for talented -cricketers who can do wonders for India will be a good idea.

Yours faithfully,
Gautam Bardoloi, Jamshedpur

Sir ? Mahendra Singh Dhoni accomplished a feat in the second ODI at Kochi that every Indian cricketer would be proud of: smashing a century against arch-rivals Pakistan. His knock justified his promotion to one down in the batting line-up. But let?s hope that in our joy over Dhoni?s showing, we do not forget the success of Arjun Atwal, who did his country proud at the US PGA tour on the same day. After all, such performances are quite rare in Indian sports.

Yours faithfully,
Sayantan Das, Konnagar

Sir ? Now that Dhoni has done the unthinkable, the whole country is busy showering praise on him. The media, especially, seems to have got a bit carried away, describing the young wicketkeeper as India?s answer to the mercurial Adam Gilchrist. Such comparisons, bordering on the absurd, only end up putting unnecessary pressure on cricketers who are new to international cricket. The sooner the media desists from going overboard with our players, the better for Indian cricket.

Yours faithfully,
Susobhan Sarkar, Calcutta

Sir ? Cricket-lovers are bound to be impressed with Dhoni. The young keeper made full use of the opportunity his captain gave him and played memorably. With his stellar performance, India?s long search for a specialist keeper who can also bat will hopefully be at an end. In fact, it would be fair to compare Dhoni with Gilchrist, after seeing him bat the way he did against Pakistan.

Yours faithfully,
Md. Mudassir Alam, Aligarh

Sir ? Dhoni is undoubtedly the new star in Indian cricket. The manner in which he batted under hot and humid conditions proved his mettle. It is never easy to match Virender Sehwag?s strike rate but Dhoni did just that, flaying the Pakistani attack to all ends of the park. He was sharp behind the stumps as well. Dhoni appears competent enough to succeed in international cricket. Rahul Dravid can finally take off his keeping gloves, if the selectors continue to put their faith in the young lad from Jhar-khand.

Yours faithfully,
Arjun Chaudhuri, Calcutta