Virat Kohli is a great cricketer; perhaps the best batsman India has had after Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. But I am not sure whether he was the best captain we have ever had (‘Dreamer, doer’, January 30). For me, that is M.S. Dhoni.
Kohli set a bad precedence by quitting only as T20 captain. Quitting as captain in one format and continuing in other formats is not wise. It gave this feeling that Kohli was selfish and took these decisions purely at his convenience.
Kohli was successful as a Test captain only because Ravi Shastri, as the former coach, gave him free rein. If not for Shastri, Kohli would have found the going quite tough.
Kohli should now focus and contribute with the bat. As long as Kohli plays, India will be formidable.
Suresh Sharma,
On email.
Kohli should not let the recent controversies affect his performance as a player. He has some five to six years of cricket left in him. Kohli, I am sure, will continue to motivate so many young players in the team, who look up to him. All said I am not a fan of Kohli’s aggression, which at times is uncalled for. All great players are cool on and off the field.
V.M. Pradeep,
On email.
No strong opposition
The exodus from the BJP camp in Uttar Pradesh will hurt the BJP in the assembly elections (‘Exit wound’, January 30). Caste has always been king in UP. Many leaders in the BJP, over the last five years, have been complaining about the way Yogi Adityanath functions and his dictatorial style of administration.
But then the opposition parties in the state are divided. If the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Congress had formed an alliance against Yogi, he would have not have been in such a strong position.
Himanshu Bhushan,
On email.
Boost infrastructure
Good that hospitals in India have come of age after the last two waves (‘Upgrading for the challenge’, January 23). All hospitals, especially the government ones, should boost their infrastructure capacity. Many government-run hospitals, especially in north Indian states, are in a miserable state.
Anxiety and fear in children, especially those below 10, are worrying signs. They are in a helpless situation as they are not vaccinated. In any case, the pandemic has affected children the most as they are not able to socialise with other children. And this will have a long-term impact on them.
Saurav Saxena,
On email.
Epitome of simplicity
Ashis Ray has shared some enlightening moments from the life of Shastri, who might be diminutive in appearance, but the vision he had for the nation was inspirational (‘Bird that soared’, January 23). He was an epitome of simplicity yet a firm and decisive reflection of Indian polity.
It is pathetic to see how many present-day politicians have forgotten the legacy of secularism and socialism left by visionary leaders like Shastri.
Devendra Awasthi,
On email.
THE WEEK that excels in covering news within the country and outside with amazing quickness and authenticity was large-hearted to bring about a poignant article on Shastri on his death anniversary.
If ever there was a true secular statesman in India’s political history, it was Shastri. He might have been short in stature but his eminence as a staunch Congress leader and a dutiful leader of the nation was huge.
Had he served the country as prime minister for a better tenure than the 20 months he did with elan, he would have been better talked of and celebrated than the father and daughter who preceded and succeeded him. The Congress, at this juncture, needs a firm leader and the country needs more statesmen like the genial Shastri, who shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi.
Sanath Kumar T.S.,
On email.
Childish comparison
Anuja Chauhan in her column made some valid points about VIP culture but to dismiss the serious lapse in the security detail of the prime minister as “hauwa” is stretching the argument too far (‘Schizo-nation’, January 23). She possibly seems to have suffered a bout of amnesia; doesn’t she remember that the nation lost an incumbent prime minister violently to a pre-planned plot and what was the disastrous aftermath of that incident on the larger society? It’s a fact that we are in a highly troubled neighbourhood unlike the Netherlands; that comparison, on Chauhan’s part, was quite childish I must say.
Nagarajan S.,
Mysuru, Karnataka.
Let better sense prevail
Sachidananda Murthy has pointed out how politics has made a mess of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (‘A NEET mess’, January 16). But worse is the confusion and chaos that is prevalent over the conduct of the examination; high courts and the Supreme Court have to keep intervening.
If the National Testing Agency members had handled the issue wisely, and with academic sense, it could have been reasonably solved without the matter going to high courts and the Supreme Court. Let any change in the policies be done prior to the selection processes of the subsequent batches. Perhaps, the policy makers do not understand the anxiety of students who aspire for these courses.
Now that the Supreme Court has allowed the counselling process, hope there will not be any further delay.
K.K. Cherian,
On email.