Men in Blue right in ignoring Pak players

This has reference to your editorial ‘Was cricket the casualty in Asia Cup final’. Indians have profoundly enjoyed all the matches played during the Asia Cup and the crowning glory was in defeating Pakistan in all the three showdowns, including the championship clash. The sportsmanship referred to in the editorial applies to all responsible opponents too.

The reason behind Indian players not getting too ‘friendly’ with their opponents is known to all of us. Pakistan captain Salman Agha’s claim that his Indian counterpart Surya Kumar Yadav shook hands with him in private but refused to do so in public is out of context as no self-respecting Indian would engage in the act when Pakistan refuses to mend its ways and continues to indulge in proxy war.

K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai

Time ICC isolates Pakistan

To put it in a nutshell, the Indian cricket team’s stance during the post-match was not just another cricketing contest but can be said a test of national dignity because Indian players, despite a thumping win and lifting the Asia Cup, prioritised self-respect over victory. There is no iota of doubt that when a rogue nation like Pakistan enters the cricket arena, the word ‘gentleman’ gets automatically replaced by deception. They acted in a most disgraceful manner even after three humiliations in the tournament.

One wonders whether cricket will remain the same or be an extension of politics in the sub-continent. Rightly so, the Indian team, backed by the BCCI, refused to accept the cup from a man, whose government is actively waging a war against India. They should be isolated from the international firmament for dishonouring ICC’s code of conduct. Pakistan players have brought disgrace to the game which can never be pardoned.

K R Srinivasan, Secunderabad-3

Pak shamed and devastated

This refers to your editorial ‘Was cricket the casualty in Asia Cup final’. India won the Asia Cup with extreme ease and shamed Pakistan in doing so. Pakistanis are angry at the dismal performance of their players. At a different level, it is good that India came up trumps as Pakistan would have indulged in a malicious propaganda that India feared losing to Pakistan. Sporting ties are mere offshoots of good neighbourliness, which Pakistan can never be.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

Cricket umpires caught between a bouncer and a beamer!

Manjul’s cartoon had me in splits! Two players ready to go for each other’s throats, and the poor umpire caught in the middle like a peace negotiator at a family wedding gone wrong. The title “Irregular” is bang on not just for the match, but for the umpire’s heartbeat! His face screams one thing: “Why didn’t I just become a librarian?”

Cricket used to be a gentleman’s game. Now, it looks more like a WWE match with an unwilling referee. The old saying, “The umpire’s decision is final,” clearly needs a footnote: “...unless someone yells loud enough!” As Sunil Gavaskar once said, “Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties” especially uncertain is whether the umpire will leave the field in one piece. Between heated appeals, cold stares, and finger-pointing that could cut glass, it’s high time umpires wore body armour or at least get stress leaves. Thanks to Manjul for reminding us: in cricket, it’s not just wickets that fall, so do umpire’s hopes!

Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

Tapping solar power is the best bet

This has reference to the news that Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s village Kandareddypalli will have solar power panels to generate free electricity. Solar power panels are also to be installed across Telangana, including on rooftops of all government buildings. India possesses abundant free solar energy with sunny days prevailing almost all through the year.

Telangana has hundreds of villages and vast agricultural land. There is a need to install solar power panels in agricultural lands. I urge Revanth Reddy to sanction solar power panels across all districts so that it becomes the top state in the utilisation of solar energy to generate free electrical power.

G Murali Mohan Rao, Secunderabad-11