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Unwarranted

The Indian cricket team’s achievement in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament is no doubt laudable. But it does not warrant the frenzy and publicity we have seen in the last few days. Lavish gifts and praise for a cricket team which can also lose hinders the progress of numerous other sports, including local sports and athletics. The hype over the game needs to be restrained so that young talent is not weaned away from other sports.

B. Rajendran,

Puducherry

I feel one with the national hockey coach who is upset over the treatment meted out to his players. Cricket is played among a dozen or so countries and the nomenclature ‘World Cup’ is misleading. It is not played during the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics. It is not our national game either. If a sizeable number of countries start encouraging their youth to play cricket, I am afraid our team may not get the international rating that even our soccer team gets. The print and electronic media are in the race to cash in on the average Indian’s weakness for cricket. Cricket seems to be pampered because it enjoys the colonial status.

Nakka Sudhakara Rao,

Markapur

The shortest version of the wonderful gentleman’s game does not possess the qualities with which classical cricket is identified. The huge money involved in the game, with three matches a day, may be a bonanza for the corporates who dole out a part of their earnings to the cricketing heroes. Too much pampering of cricket will spoil the game as will the Twenty20 format.

N. Divakar,

Mysore

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