Bishan Singh Bedi
In the passing away of Bishan Singh Bedi, Indian cricket has lost a spin wizard. His squish run-up to the wickets and flighting the ball in the air for a longer time with a dipping trajectory deceived many a batsman. Only recently, Ravindra Jadeja, yet another left-arm spinner, surpassed Bedi’s tally of 266 wickets in Test cricket. Bedi held his record intact for over four decades. Bishan Bedi, the gentle Sardar cannot be cloned.
K. Pradeep,
Chennai
The passing of Bishan Singh Bedi is a great loss for cricket. He will be remembered for his out-of-the-world slow left arm spin, bamboozling the best of batters, and his frank views on the ills in cricket.
Devadas V.,
Talap, Kannur, Kerala
Afghanistan rising
West Indian cricket may be in decline but cricket is witnessing an exciting phase — the evolution of Afghanistan cricket. Two back-to-back facile wins against England and Pakistan speak of an assortment of players becoming an organised unit. The optimism of its cricketers is worth emulating. Credit must be given for its positive approach which derailed two highly-rated teams that may not qualify for the back end of the tournament. We cannot forget that there is not much patronage and encouragement for cricket in Afghanistan and this makes the victories all the more sweeter.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
The Afghan cricket team has been transformed in this World Cup and should not be taken for granted in any way. On the other hand, Pakistan’s weak bowling line-up is destroying the hard work put in by the batters.
H.K. Isha’ati,
Mumbai
I was at Chepauk on Monday and must compliment the Afghan team for the way it pursued Pakistan. Outstanding cricket! But I would also like to compliment the Chennai cricket fans/spectators for living up to the reputation they have carved for themselves — appreciating and enjoying quality cricket even when India is not involved or on the losing side. It brought back memories of the 1999 Test which has become synonymous with the great spirit of Chennai — the visuals of Chepauk on its feet, clapping for the Pakistan team.
There is another dimension — the clips put out by ToloNews and the Afghanistan Cricket Board, which showed joyous scenes in the streets of Kabul and elsewhere as the young and the old and even children and girls were ecstatic, waving flashlights and cheering wildly after their team’s win. One heard the words, ‘Afghanistan, Pakistan, Hindustan’. The heart-warming scenes only prove the great power of unity that sport has.
Vikram Kapoor,
New Delhi
CDMs in bank
The Cash Deposit Machine (CDM) in banks is a great help in money transfers and withdrawals. However, the CDMs, particularly in the State of Bank of India, seem to be having their screens deliberately darkened on holidays, when the bank authorities are not there, in order to prevent people from causing a jamming of notes that are deposited in the machine. I have found this happening on a number of occasions. The SBI officials must ensure that the CDMs are in perfect working order even on holidays.
V. Subramaniam,
Chennai
