MyVoice: Views of our readers 28th Nov 2025

Sacking of Army Officer distressing

It is deplorable that a Christian Army Officer, Samuel, who declined to participate in a religious event was dismissed and the High Court and lately, Supreme Court headed by incumbent CJI upheld the dismissal. being a born again Christian pleaded inability to participate in a religious event and he was fired.

I wonder if Indian Army is getting fundamental religious in-roads and it is beyond one’s comprehension as to why one with a particular religious faith is not barred from other religious event since it not dereliction of his professionalism at all. I am afraid that the government abetted by religious fundamentalism is not only hijacking the Constitutional bodies but of late tending to divide morale of the Armed Forces as well which is not good for the nation.

Dr.T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

Reduce road accidents, save lives

AP Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has taken a good initiative and suggested several measures to curb road accidents in the state in a review meeting on Wednesday. The officials concerned must implement these suggestions apart from a few more like:

Minors must not be permitted to ride either two wheeler or four wheeler, wine shops must be closed by 7pm, breath analysing is compulsory for every driver, inflammable material must not be allowed in passenger vehicles, road rules must be a part of currculam in educational institutions etc,.

Pratapa Reddy Yaramala, Tiruvuru AP

Terrible test match performances

The South African team led by Temba Bavuna looks fresh and energetic while the Indian team looks out of colour right now .What is even more disappointing is India has now slipped to a 5th position in WTC Rankings. This is India’s second successive series defeat at home after the loss to New Zealand last year.

It is the T -20 and the IPL League which has robbed the charm of Test Cricket.India is more into Limited Overs and White Ball Game but it is how you play Test Cricket with the Red Ball which defines the true spirit of the Sport. The Indian team has to do a lot of soul searching. Certainly the team has to prioritise the red ball and the 5- day format if they have to rise again in the test cricket rankings .

Parimala G Tadas, Hyderabad

II

As India was outplayed in all departments by Proteas in both the tests, it was clear that the team looked clueless with no semblance of a fight which is quite disappointing. Indian team that once dominated the pitch conditions at home with spectacular wins now struggling is not only a concern but a signal that India’s test regression is a shared failure of selector and coach.

However, the playing eleven led by the captain lacking in resolve and skills succumbed without a semblance of a fight team looked directionless and confused in crisis is an eye-opener to BCCI to chalk out a strategy to stop the team drifting into failure on account of faulty selection.

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad

III

Sir, apropos of ‘Indian cricket faces “test”ing times once again’ (Hans India; November 27, 2025). Close on the heels of the 3-0 whitewash Indian test cricketers received at the hands of New Zealand last year, it has met with similar drubbing in the hands of South Africa. ‘Tigers at home’ have been reduced to ‘paper tigers’. What ails Indian test cricket? The answer lies in the demands flurry of formats modern-day cricketers are required to play.

Demands of these formats differing in application and technique are showing on cricketers. If T20 format demands every ball dispatched to the skies irrespective of the ball’s merit, test cricket demands application and discipline. This might not be applicable to accomplished players. But it certainly affects ‘bits and pieces’ men, who keep the tail wagging. A night watchman scoring a century has been forgotten.

Dr George Jacob, Kochi

IV

I wish to express deep concern over the declining standards of India’s Test cricket. India has suffered another home Test defeat — this time against South Africa. This is a sharp contrast to the era of King Kohli, under whom India played 31 home Tests in seven years and lost only two. There was a time when winning a Test series in India was considered as tough as winning a World Cup.

Today, however, visiting teams are able to defeat India with unexpected ease. What is even more disappointing is that the team which King Kohli and Ravi Shastri built with years of hard work, discipline, and planning has been broken and scattered due to poor management and inconsistent decisions. A strong, fearless unit created under their guidance has now lost its identity and direction. The reasons behind this decline are clear: unfair selection, personal favoritism, and ignoring basic cricketing principles.

Md Imdadullah, Hyderabad

V

The irony of the Indian team is that it has an uncanny knack for creating records in both situations—whether it wins or loses! After losing the Guwahati Test, India holds the record for the biggest Test defeat by 408 runs. Even after the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ashwin, Team India still possessed excellent players. However, due to the inexperienced new captain and the arrogance of coach Gambhir, the Indian players never had the opportunity to play freely on the field.

This is why India has been losing Test series after Test series at home for quite some time. However, no matter how well we play cricket in the future or how many big victories we achieve, India will never be able to erase or forget the stinging wound of this biggest and most disappointing Test cricket defeat inflicted on us at home by a diminutive African captain, Temba Bavuma.

Arvind Rawal, Jhabua, (MP)