Gamble to win

THIS refers to the article "Gamble to win" by Ashwini Bhatnagar (April 24). I strongly feel that it was too late to change the captain of the team selected to participate in the World Cup. I am not in favour of any such gamble. A couple of initiatives here and there do not prove beyond doubt that Jadeja is a natural leader of men or a consummate strategist. What matters is the consistent performance and length of experience as a captain. Azhar is the right choice as captain of our World Cup team. He has an excellent track record — he captained India on 165 occasions and won 86 matches for us. As a batsman and a slip fielder, Azhar is the envy of the best in the world (as highlighted in this article). Although one does appreciate the qualities of "Nonchalance" "Improviser", ‘Risk taker" "Motivator" and "Gregariousness" in Jadeja, he has only eight matches (as captain) to his credit. He won five and lost three. Azhar has got varied exposure and experience as a captain of 165 matches.

ONKAR CHOPRA
New Delhi.

II

The article reflects the views of millions of cricket lovers inIndia. Ajay Jadeja was far better suited to lead the Indian cricket team as compared to Azharuddin.

Ajay is highly enthusiastic and is always willing to make things happen on the field. Azharuddin, on the other hand, waits for things to happen themselves. Moreover, unlike Jadeja who interacts with the players in a very warm and friendly way, Azhar maintains a distance from his players and is not able to extract the best out of them. Players seem more comfortable, enthusiastic and happy while playing under a man like Jadeja.

I feel the Indian selectors definitely know all this. They would have done a commendable job had they replaced Ajay as the captain for the World Cup team after his superb performance in Sharjah.

ISAAC DAVID
Jalandhar