Congratulations to Pakistan on its emphatic win against India in the Champions Trophy at the Oval. The match, which saw fortunes fluctuate, was vintage stuff at its best (‘Sport’ – “Inspired Pakistan gives India a hiding”, June 19). The bonhomie and sportsmanship displayed by the players of both teams were refreshing. India and Pakistan should play more cricket in future as it will go a long way in furthering the cause of both sports and bilateral ties.
Nagarajamani M.V.,
Hyderabad
The famed Indian cricket team failed when needed most. It surrendered abjectly to an invigorated team, which was on the verge of losing its semi-final berth. Perhaps India was brimming with confidence, even overconfidence. Both the bowling department and the famed batting came a cropper against an determined opponent What was most shocking was the spineless display on the batting track. To add insult to injury was the poor bowling. The batsmen lacked confidence and concentration.
D.B.N. Murthy,
Bengaluru
It is deeply disappointing that India lost to a lower ranked team, Pakistan, which showed up the many weaknesses of our men right from the first ball. It is clear that the Indian team has been unnecessarily pampered and that captain Virat Kohli and his men were so busy with the IPL tamasha that they could not have been fully prepared for the tournament. It was evident from the way Pakistan played that it was determined to win, a spirit missing in the Indian team.
The only consolation is that our heroes thrashed Pakistan 7-1 in the Hockey World League.
S. Viswanathan,
Srirangam, Tamil Nadu
The much awaited Champions Trophy has come to an end. Thwarting all calculations and predictions of cricket pundits, India was drubbed in the final by its arch-rival Pakistan, which made a remarkable comeback. Simultaneously, our “forgotten hockey team” crushed Pakistan elsewhere in London on the same evening. All TV channels featured cricket while hockey was given a back seat. Even on June 19, the print media wrote prominently about cricket while pushing the hockey win down the page. Even Kidambi’s victory in the Indonesia Open got only a mention while Rohan Bopanna’s Grand Slam doubles win at the French Open hardly got the coverage it deserved.
All this shows that cricket erodes the value of other sports. Cricket stars are filthy rich; they have no time to practise, as they are continuously engaged in various tournaments without adequate rest and practice sessions. Whatever time they have is then spent endorsing products. In the final while we marvelled at the fighting spirit and firm grit of Pakistan’s players, we saw only a meek bunch of Indian players.
P.P. Venugopalan,
Kannur, Kerala
