Sir — India’s remarkable one-day series victory over New Zealand once again drives home the fact that the team has made winning a regular habit now. The convincing 4-1 margin is no mean achievement, especially in New Zealand, where the Indian team has, more often than not, struggled to get its act together in one-day internationals and Test matches. This series victory will go down in history as one of the best ever by an Indian team on foreign soil. The ODI series victory in Australia as well as the one in New Zealand have given the lie to the notion that India always struggles on fast and bouncy tracks.
The return of Hardik Pandya to the team also served as a major boost for India’s batting and bowling. Equally important has been the match-winning performance of Ambati Rayudu, who can strengthen the middle order in the future. In the last ODI, when India was struggling at 18 for 4, Rayudu, with a knock of 90 runs, stitched together an important partnership with Vijay Shankar to steer India out of trouble. The credit for posting 252 runs also goes to Pandya’s batting spell. His three consecutive sixes took the game away from the home team.
If, in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, India have discovered a deadly spin duo, then in Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar the team has found a lethal combination for medium pace. Although India look like a pretty balanced side, they need to sort out their middle order woes if they are to be prepared for the forthcoming cricket world cup.
Aditya Mukherjee,
New Delhi
Sir — The manner is which India played against New Zealand and won the ODI series 4-1 was epoch-making. India maintained its winning streak after its performance against Australia. The Indian batting unit’s performance helped the team beat New Zealand in their own backyard. India rested some valuable players, but that did not come in the way of the team’s success. Bowlers such as Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal put on a scintillating performance. Shami deserved to be adjudged Man of the Series for taking nine wickets.
It is encouraging that many good players are emerging from different parts of the country. Their presence provides a much-needed balance between experience and fresh blood. If India keeps performing in this excellent manner, they are likely to go far in the upcoming world cup tournament.
Jayanta Datta,
Hooghly
Sir — Team India won the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand. Although it had already won the series by then, every victory is important in order to stay at the top in terms of records and rank. In the fourth ODI, India performed dismally and lost. Even at the start of the final match, they were struggling after losing four wickets with a mere 18 runs on the board. Thankfully Ambati Rayudu played a good innings. His performance has been consistently good. If he continues to play like this, he will become an important part of the team one day.
Z. Rahmani,
Calcutta
Sir — India must be congratulated for winning the ODI series against the Kiwis. After their demoralizing show in the fourth match, they managed to bounce back. The team has proven its skills even when it does not have Virat Kohli to rely on. This is a good sign for the world cup. One hopes India wins it.
Nafis Alam,
Calcutta
Great help
Sir — It was heart-warming to learn about Candice Payne, a real estate broker who rented 30 hotel rooms in Chicago for more than 100 homeless people to get through the extreme cold brought on by the polar vortex. She also arranged for food and fresh clothes for them. Her gesture as a responsible citizen towards those less fortunate than herself is commendable. Lending a helping hand can make a huge difference. She also motivated other people to donate towards this noble cause. Payne has simply shown that rich, powerful people are not the only ones capable of bringing about change.
Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta