NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
ARCHIVES

Mohammad Azharuddin debate

Sajid: sajid@cis.ksu.edu: I think Azhar is a great batsman and will be on song in the next matches to come. I hope the selectors persist with Azhar. He is the best fielder we have got in the team.

akoluku@uswest.com: Anjani K Kolukula: I think Azhar has to be selected based on his experience.As experience counts a lot.Right now he having a lean patch wit his willow but once it starts talking his critics will also applaud his batting.I have confidence in his batting ability and he always gives 100% effort while playing for India.

Vijay: soumya_kr@hotmail.com: Azhar should be selected and be given one more chance to prove himself. By the way, your article is very convinicing.

Sameer: prsameer@hotmail.com: nay! Retire him.

Girish: muckai@yahoo.com: Harsha, I think Azhar should not be selected for the forthcoming tournaments for the following reasons: - His batting in the world cup was pathetic. He has not shown any indication that he can score big runs and cannot score more than 10 runs an over even during slogging stages. Whereas, there are many others such as jadeja who can do a mini-Klusener with reasonable frequency - His captaincy has been criticized heavily including aspects such as he does not motivate the players etc. During the world cup, this was quite evident. He has shown that he cannot transfer the fighting spirit (even if he has any) to other team members efficiently. - 10dulkar would find it easier to captain the team sans Azhar (though he has said that it is no big deal with Azar being around etc., bit it sure is bound to have an impact) - There are many others in the team, especially youngsters who can do a thing or two with the ball as well as with the bat and they deserve to get some opportunities - The Indian batting line up has become very strong as Dravid and Ganguly, for example, have demonstrated. Azhar's recent performance pales in comparison. Keep writing those articles/columns with good analysis. Cheers, Girish San Francisco, California

anand gupte: anandgupte@hotmail.com: i think azhar should retire because of his laid back attitude toward the teams failures. He doesnt have a prper game plan and doesnt inspire his team mates.

Senthil: asenthil@mailexcite.com: Azhar should be given atleast one more chance. I believe he deserves a graceful exit from Cricket. Which means He should decide when to retire.

Nimit Mehta: nimit@email.com: how could it ever be yay? if someone fails to deliver when it matters the most i.e world cup, how can u justify him using in between years. if u see track record of agit agarkar then he should be in the team. right now u would not think of giving him a berth. i think the same should apply to azhar. let him prove himself to be able play well on the pitch and not the nets

Murali: Murali420@hotmail.com: Yes.He should stay. Give him a last chance(3 months) to retire happily and confidantly.

Nikhil Vora: nikhil_vora@hotmail.com: Well..there is no doubt that azhar was a good batsman... but let me tell u, he was never a great batsman...all the scores he made were on subcontinent pitches and against the low quality bowling!! The worst thing is his behaviour when sachin was captain last time!! He never felt responsible for indian cricket team during that period and was just swinging his bat and no doubt he might hv scored few runs by doing that but is that what we expected from our former skipper and most exp. batsman in side ?? He should be sacked as a batsman for not showing maturity in his game while playing under somebody !! Also look at the last 6 months, he hardly scored over 50...and funny thing is he repeatedly refuses to believe anything which is of not his liking!! He doesn't hv any imagination and no friends in team!! if u make even khoda as captain of indian team with sachin and dravid in team and giving hundred percent, he is bound to succeed !!!! so there is no magic abt. his captaincy which is anyway now no longer a issue!!! But he must go and if he decides himself right now to go, that would be his greatest contribution to indian cricket team!! Please azhar, don't be blind!! We appreciate ur services but we don't need it now!!! we ( indian cricket lovers )will really be thankful to u , if u just retire!!!!

SANJAY: sanjay8886@hotmail.com: NAY.NO Azhar in team.

Pravin: pravin@uswest.net: With due regards, Azhar should be given a chance. He has come back from the brink before. He deserves a chance.

Amit Samant: amsam@hotmail.com: A big NAY! Azhar might have been a glorious player once but our Indian team has too many glorious players.What we need now are team players like Jadeja! So throw this old man out and get some new blood. Nobody in the Indian team likes him and he in turn doesn't get along with anybody! So he is a big liability for the team! THROW HIM OUT!!!!!

Sanajy: sanjaywas@yahoo.com: I think he should play. YAY!!

Somu: somu8@aol.com: I have been a fan of Azhar for the past 14 years.He is a crafty batsman and we should support him during his lean patch.He should be included in Indian team for the forthcoming triangular series. If you think that only consistency can get the place in playing 11 then most of the top class Indian batsman has failed at the crunch moment when India needs thier services.Sacking Azhar from the team alone will not solve the problem of India as it doesn't have the true all rounders like South Africa to become a top class team. Azhar is all time great batsman !!!!!!!You got to watch his wristy magic when he is in full swing..wow !!!!! Always my vote is for Azhur!!!!!!

Kartik: sudeep@ee.duke.edu: I think Azhar should be given one chance before the axe falls on him. He has had a brilliant career, though there have been specks of poor form some times. But which cricketeer hasn't had them ? I think ONE chance is what must be given to him. He should be on the team for the triangular ODIs.

ramesh: RRamanujam@al.com: I guess Azhar should be given couple of seasons so that the team can benefit/learn from his expertise. Now that the mantle of captaincy is removed from his head, Azhar can devote more time to his batting and at the same time help other team members with their batting and fielding problems.

Bipin: raneb@hotmail.com: No ! I don't think that Azhar should be denied a chance to play. He is still a worthy batsman, it is just that he is going thru a bad patch. He will come back. I have full faith in him.

Ravi: ravicj@hotmail.com: Azhar should be part of the team and his performance should be gauged in the next series

Kuldeep: kuldeephak@hotmail.com: Azhar has done heroic deeds for India. he has been so wonderful with the bat. Looking back at the setence I just wrote, a question is asked to me by my mind as, "When Was That"? The annswer is given back to me by the same Voice, " Once Upon a Time!" This great Batsman should step out of the active playing and contribute towards the building the new blood talents. I wish the great batsman must take the courage to say GoodBye to 22 yards. The old saying in army is when a warhouse is injured in one leg, what should be done to it? I hope better judgement prevails.

Anupama: anupama_tiku@hotmail.com: Of course Azhar should be on the Indian side. I think he's one of India's finest players who's only going thru a rough patch--to say the least. But having said this, I think I must add that as far as captaincy is concerned, the resposibility must be given to someone younger, who has a bright, long future so that he sees India well upto the next World Cup and beyond.

Swaminathan: swamir@cs.umb.edu: Azhar should be allowed to continue. By keeping him in the side its not that the selectors aren't able to give other player a chance, as almost all Indian players have been tried adequately and have done badly over the past few years. I beleive that Azhar can still find himself in form and can play a few more excellent innings for India. You know, what it means when Azhar is in form with his bat. Remember his innings against SA when he got after Klussner bowling.

Sanjay Acharya: sjacharya@hotmail.com: I agree with Harsha Bhogle. Azhar is too good a player to hang his boots without passing his valueable experience to the new captain and potential candidates for the captancy. By his own admission, Sachin Tendulkar is not very comfortable in the dual role of leading a side and the one man army. I think the Indian team today has a lot of poential and good candidates to lead the Indian side. Agreed that as a Individual they are good, but their leadership abilities have never been tested. We have seen over the years that whenever there has been a change in a long standing captain, the team performance has always gone down. We have seen this happen to the English team and I for one would not like to see Indian team in the same boat. I would love to see Azhar helping Sachin and others to sharpen their leadership abilities and boost their moral before he hangs his boots. He will have to be more forthcomming and will have to dump his ego (which I hope he does not have) in the Arabian Sea. This turn around from old to new will help the Indian cricket to maintain its performance (if not go up). I am sure Azhar will not let me, and many more like me, down.

Swaminathan: swamir@cs.umb.edu: Azhar should be allowed to continue. By keeping him in the side its not that the selectors aren't able to give other player a chance, as almost all Indian players have been tried adequately and have done badly over the past few years. I believe that Azhar can still find himself in form and can play a few more excellent innings for India. You know, what it means when Azhar is in form with his bat. Remember his innings against SA when he got after Klussner's bowling.

Sunil Goparaju: sunnygops@hotmail.com: Yay, Azhar should be given another chance. I think India needs a batsman of his calibre. If he does'nt really play well, the selectors can always replace him.

mukesh: deepuasrani@rediffmail.com: azharbhai its high time you retire and give oppertunity to deserving newcomers.

Rajeev Mohnot: mohnot@hotmail.com: He should not play Test Cricket - because it will put unneccessary pressure on Sachin. Long time Captain like Azhar can only hamper (or make difficult) new Captain's task. So it will be good for Indain team without Azhar. Also now we have more better batsman than Azhar - so give a younger person his chance. Azhar should come out graciously for good of Indian Team. Rajeev Mohnot

Satish: satishb10@yahoo.com: Azhar should consider retiring because it is very difficult to get back the touch when you are 36 than maybe, when you are 33. Maybe his record is good overall but in recent times he has failed to entertain the crowds and it is better to quit gracefully than to be shown the door by someone else

Prasann Vachhani: prasann@remus.rutgers.edu: It's time for Azza to volunteerily quit and save himself from more embarrassment. He was all over on Kapil Dev when he was struggling at the end of his career, then why is it so hard to take it back from him?

Krishna: kurpad@tamu.edu: I think Azhar should be in the playing eleven. He has given far too much for India to be kicked out so unceremoniously. I am sure that with the pressure of captaincy off his shoulder, he will do wonderfully as a batsman. I give a resounding "Yay".

Kartikeya Fotedar: fotedar_kartik@hotmail.com: yay- he needs to be in the team and regain his form again

sohail: sohail@rediff.com: hi i think that azhar has a lot of cricket still in him yes the numbers show a different story but you need to see it in the background of the matches and place they were played in rahul and ganguly were doing the bulk of scoring and using most of the overs hence when azhar came to bat quick runs were the order of the day, being a cricketer who plays for the team he did the needfull. i think there is no one as good a feilder and a batsman right know who even can replace him. we also need to give him is due for the service which he has rendered to the game by letting him choose the date and place for his retirement. i think this is the least we can do for the man who is a cricketer and a gentalmen in the true sense

H.N.Suresh: shindupur@yahoo.com: I think Azar should retire from cricket gracefully. I always remember Sunil Gavaskar's Statement that a cricketer should retire when people ask 'Why' and not 'Why not'. In every sport people retire at different ages and what is important is not the age but the performance. I would be too happy if Azar says 'goodbye' to first class cricket because being his fan I do not wish to see him thrown out of the team. He is too good to receive that kind of treatment. Suresh

praba: solidnmr@email.com: Though I was a great fan of Azar, I think it is time for Azar to go. He has becaome a burden to the team. If he is notgoing out by himself, he has to be dropped from the team. No mercy here. Cricket is about winning, scoring runs. You can't just keep him in the team just for the fact that he scored well in yesteryears!! Also 36 years is too old for any game unless he is perfoming great. Just because he feels fit and loves the game, Do you think a whole national team has to suffer? Selectors should send a message to people who just to try to hang on past glories. Cricket is about performance--Present performanance and not the past.

neil: : Hey man Azhar, High time u retire.Thanks for all your support to Sachin when he was he captain.You have lost all your past glory the day u played so recklessly in the carib tour 1997.Remember.

chandra shekar: chintu73@hotmail.com: Hi Harsha, Let me come to the point straight. 1.Azhar should'nt be playing in the team 2.I expected him not be even in the world cup squad. Reason. Right now the team has bunch of young talented players they don't have opportunties just because we have senior players who does'nt have enthusiasm to play cricket. When srianth was young and at his peak, he was asked to bowl as the first change in south africa where he could have done wonderful if he had opened. I dont blame azhar for this, reason simple, senior players( kapil & manoj). Strageries in the game changes as time passes, still the think tank of indians & their mentalities remain same. The young blood has got more to do for nation. Whether the nation provides an opportunity for them I Doubt. Consider Siddhu, he was always called back to team when he is at worst, he was called based on his experience & not on his present form and at the end of the series he is at his best, but he couldnt find place in the team. Azhar can make a may for youngster who are thriving to play for the nation. Qoute: Inspite Carl lewis being the best athlete for U.S.A, he could'nt find place in national games. Reason: He could'nt make it up to the mark of new generation

Ramesh: rkteeka@hotmail.com: nay!

Debu Dasgupta: dpdasgupta@hotmail.com: Azhar should be retained in the side as a batsman. With the pressures of captaincy gone, the side will require his determination and brilliance in the field.

Anand: kanand1@hotmail.com: Azhar may have been a great batsman, but I think his time has come. He may be still good, but it is better that he leaves the field for younger ones. Also, as a captain, it will be better for Sachin, who will not have a senior breathing down his neck and therefore better for indian team. Regards, Anand.

Murali: murali@worldlynx.net: Azhar as a captain has been a totally failure in his second stint. Selector did right by taking him out of captaincy. I would still keep him in the side since like Sachin he would play better as a player then as a captain cum player. So if i were a selector i would give him another chance before taking him out of international cricket.

Satya: satyakant@yahoo.com: YAY!

Sreelal: sxchand@uswest.com: Ashar is lacking dedication and also he is getting disturbed by silly things. He has the potential but looks like he does not have much interest other than getting some money from sponsors & advt.

devdutt sharma: sharmadevdutt@hotmail.com: hey its azhar that u r talkin abt ok and azhar is the most experienced man in this team n i dont think that his carrier is going to end at this point of time . though he is not in form but his patchy innings(as the experts say)against pakistan could tell u that he is trying to do his best for the country he is the man who have given his best for the country whenever we needed him. it is only his -ive points r highlighted so much hey guys try to give him a break . he is the man who has always fighted his way back in form a few months ago he was a totally diff guy for these media guys but now y r these guys against him it is not just azhar who has failed cant u look at the other side in which we have other guys who has let us down the whole team has lost n we cant blame azhar for it.we have sachin and ajay who r turning up as very good players under him or should we say future captain of our team hey guys.we have a good team which could be guided with the help of azhar and i think azhar is the key for india we need azhar for atleast another year but we r going to miss him after that but till that time azhar(the legend ) will have helped us to create the futureof indian team.azhar is the man n for others its move over yeh hai azhar make way kabhi na hatenge kadam jab tak rahenge hum yeh hai azhar.

Kamal : kps101@usa.net: Now!!!it's a time for azhar to quit the team with respect ,as he's performing ho should him self think where exectly he stands. making sachin is also a wrong step while we have a execellent captain as Ajay jadeja!!! I wish my all the best wishes with tendu!!!! as well india also!!!! Good Luck India kamal

Nagendra: nagenv@hotmail.com: Azhar's batting, has definitely lost the panache it had. I think he should retire from cricket, but the Indian team really lacks Captain material right now. Tendulkar is most likely to lose his form when donning the captaincy mantle.

Vivek: v_kapila@hotmail.com: Azhar should be retained in the team as long as he wishes to. Let's show some respect to a player who, despite his failures at times, has been the most successful captain in the Indian cricket history, and one of the most successful batsmen and fielder. Good Luck Azza! Vivek.

Abou Baker MohamedOumar: aboubakerm@hotmail.com: Azhar has to be there in the team. He is a great player. So it is definitely 'YAY' for him to be in the team.

Roshni: roshni100@hotmail.com: He still has a lot of cricket left in him. Stop hounding him.Let himplay !!

vipin: vipinm@hotmail.com: Azhar should given chance to play.

Suresh Menon: surimenon@hotmail.com: He should stay on the Indian side. He has a lot more to offer before he retires. This series may help him and the rest of us decide.

Krishna P. Kaliappan: kpk@chem.duke.edu: Dear Mr. Harsha Bogle, As you know, probably more than me, statistics always doesn't reveal everything. What is lacking in Azhar's statistics is consistency. Except for the first three centuries in the first three tests, he was never consistent throught his career. Everyone watched how he couldn't put bat into ball during the 1996, 1999 (World Cup) series to England and during the 1993 South Africa tour. Later he played, occasionally, one or two good innings whenever his position was questioned. Do you honestly feel that if Azhar was not captain of the team, he would have been in the team for thus long. There are many good cricketers who lost their places because of temporary loss of form and couldn't make into the Indian team. Poor people, if they are captain of the team, they would have had their chances too to come back into the main team. He is physically fit, but when he cannot bat how he used to ten years ago, the fitness question doesn't arise. At the best, going by the form, he can be included in the fourteen and can be asked to field in the slips as a substitute. So, its time Azhar retires gracefully, otherwise he will be forced to, which is not good for him as well as for cricket.

Arjun Narayan: arj123@hotmail.com: Azar should be sidelined. A big NAY for AZAR....

Abraham Amirtharaj: abi@healtheon.com: Azar should keep his place in the Indian team. -Abi

Mousum Roy: mousumr@hotmail.com: Azhar is still one of the finest batsmen in the team . And added to it is his briliance in the field. He should be in the team for at least an year now till a suitable replacement in the middle order is found.

raoavvs: raoavvs@rediffmail.com: nay

Muthu: muthu@basit.com: He needs rest immeadiately. Prob selectors can give him chance in test matches if he performs well in ranji. In any case he needs break for sometime. It will give chance to youngster too.

Sudip Shrestha: sudipsth@ufl.edu: This is by far the fairest and true analyses of M. Azharuddin's Statistics. Statistics is a very good tool to analyse and evaluate the performance of the players but shoud be studied with due precaution, and Harsha did that and he came up with the true evaluation of Azharuddin's performances. True to his records, he is probab. the most unpredictable player I have ever witnessed. But one big question still prevails that: "whether Indian selectors still trust him on unpredictable qualities(?) hoping he will come good some day jeopardizeoing the whole team's performance, OR sack him outta the team forever so that other younger players like Kambli gets a deserving chance to come good"!!!!!!! The selectors need to open their eyes......

Ramkumar: prkreddy@hotmail.com: I think Azhar is too good a cricketer to be dropped.

jyoti_shyam@yahoo.com: Shyam: Hi, As an Indian Cricket fan for me, it is not the question of only Azhar that bothers me. It is the total attitude of the cricket board administration. For example. How much should Dalmiya, Lele etc contribute to team selection ? If they do then why do we need five more selectors ? Or is it that we have decided to have a de-facto seven man team of selectors. Why is the board run like private property of Dalmiya and Dungarpur ? What is thier contribution to cricket at International level ? Look at the way captaincy issue was resolved. Before the selection Lele and co go public on what they think and view. Then the people concerned have to either accept the already public domain version or become a rebel and be outcast by the "Babu" raj of the board. The only difference between the Pakistan cricket administration and our's is that atleast the governtment is out of it and Thank god for that. People like Tendulkar who sweat day in and day out for the game and the country should not be anwerable to people like Dungarpur, Dalmiya and Lele. As of Azhar, Lele has already gone public that "HE" does not think Azhar will be fit. Who is Lele, a Doctor or an astrologer ? Even if it is his "Private" ( to be read as views of Dalmiya ) views why go public ? Imagine the President of the country condemming a national policy and then claim it is his "private" view ? So it wont be a surprise that Azha may not find a place. It would be a tragedy for the country and the fans if that happens. He is not being booted for his cirket or the lack of it.. It is because that alone will suit the "Babu's". If Azha finds his form then an in-form senior cricketer who has been booted out of his captaincy will be too much for the "Babu's" to handle. When will our players and the fans be free from the clutches of these "Babu's" ? When ?

Arvind: arv21@hotmail.com: Hi, I think there is a strong case for keeping Azhar in the test team and not in the ODI team. Jadeja can replace Azhar in the ODI team and we can have a specialist middle order batsman for both versions of the game. Maybe someone like Kambli or Khurasia.

Dev Nayak: ashabari@hotmail.com: Yes. Azhar should be given one last opportunity to bat to clear the lean patch he is going thru.

YOGESH BAPNA: YBAPNA@HOTMAIL.COM: NAY

Mukesh Gupta: guptamk@hotmail.com: I think Harsha Bhogle is very correct that he should be given a chance for next 3 months and this period will decide his fate. Either He will decide to retire or the selectors will decide to keep him in the team for next 1 year at least.

S.Ramakrishna: seelamrk@yahoo.com: Yes.He should be in.

Nagesh: ntonne@hotmail.com: This the time when Azhar should resign gracefully. He has contributed much to Indian cricket as a player & Captain. I don't think he has motivation left in him to continue.

Karthik: karthikv@hotmail.com: Azhar should NOT be dropped. Give him the honor we gave both Kapil and Gavaskar. Without the experience of Azza, I am not sure if Sachin would be his own self. Agreed, he is not hte greatest of captains, he still is the awesome player he could be. Before he goes, he needs to give the Indian players a lesson on fielding or two.

Srinivas Durgavarjhula: vasu@netzero.net: Azhar is fit and I think has the desire to play. Just because he is 36 cannot be a reaon to drop him from the team. Infact he should have been retained as Captain, since his replace Tendulkar had a dismal performance as captain. Azhar should continue, as long as he is capable of contributing to the national team. Age should not be a factor.

Shyam: kshyams@aol.com: Absolutely Not with a capital 'N', 'O'. its better for sachin to be away from Md 'hazard'uddin. Instead azhar shud render his services to young people by way of coaching. Thx

Ajay: ajay@sco.com: Azharuddin sure knows himself better than us, besides his career suggests it as well. I am sure he is still valuable to the team. This from a cricket playing, cricket follower.

Ajay: ajay@bu.edu: I am not really very sure why we haven't been able to give most of our cricketing legends a memorable retirement day? For example, Kapil Dev, a very highly regarded cricketer not only in India but the world was uncermeniously kicked out!I am a greater of Sachin Tendulkar when compared to Azharuddin but somehow I feel Azhar should have been retained as the captain as long as he is in the team. From Mr. Bhogle's article it definately seems that Azhar's record speaks for itself and he still can play cricket. Personally speaking, his capataincy in the world cup deserved all the applause. He could be seen constantly talking to the senior members and executed all his major decisions only in consultation with these senior members. His capatincy in particular with England, when he persisted and bowled with Saurav Ganguly eventually won us the match. The unforgettable match against Pakistan. He came in and started batting very slow. I myself was criticising and was hoping he gets out sooner as Srinath could do much better! However at the end of the day, it was his 59 that won us the match. It wasn't a batting wicket but Azhar played with great commitment and all his experience. Where as Sachin(mind you, I am his fan but here I am speaking in the intrest of the nation)fell into the trap Wasim had kept for him. Sachin fell into the trap Steve Waugh had set for him. He dedicated his innings against Kenya to his father, how about dedicating his innings against pakistan to the jawans and the nation??? Because it is easy to score against kenya? Azhar's aggresive capatincy was displayed against Pakistan in the world cup. Which captain keeps 2 gullys in an one day int'l? To conclude with, it seems as if I have been very harsh on Sachin but I regard him as the Best batsman in the world, and I would like to see that our country is at the top and moreover, our great cricketing legend should not be ignored. Some people have criticised him handing over the game just because he is a muslim, well his record speaks what he has done for his country! I wish Sachin all the best and hope that our tri colour always flies high!

SBD: raj923@rediffmail.com: keep AZHAR,DON'T MAKE BLUNDER OF DROPPING HIM FROM SIDE!

Balsu Thandu: thandu@tri.sbc.com: There shouldn't be an iota of doubt that Azhar must be in the team. Azhar's record speaks for itself. Secondly, no one can question his fitness. A half-fit Azhar is good enough to be a fully fit Ganguly. And above all I don't see any great young talent knocking at the doors either! Most importantly for a player of Azhar's stature it would be befitting to let him take a decision on retirement rather tha forcing it on him.

Pradeep Nair: pradeepn@prodigy.net: Azhar should be in the side. He's too classy a batsman even now to be out on the sidelines. Give him a break, guys.

Rohit: rohit59@usa.net: I don't think its time for such a great player like Azza to be kept out of the team.This is just a matter of getting the things going.As evident from the stats, he is one of the most gifted and stylish batsmen we ever had. So, its not yet NAY but YAY.....

R Mad: scifilvr@yahoo.com: I seem to disagree with the good point he's brought out. If there is any matter (grey or otherwise) in the Selector's head, they'd start planning for the Aussie Tour Harsha's refering to, from now, and blood a new guy. Banking (read gambling) on Azhar to come out of his (so called) bad patch will not serve the Team in the long run. 4 months is infact very little time to find somebody. But, thats better than realizing that Azhar was a bad choice in a very dificult series in Australia, and beyond! But, Azhar (as a batsman & fielder) will surely be missed in One-days, make no mistake about it. Surely not in Tests!

vamsi: vamsi_ms@hotmail.com: Dear Azhar, Even though I think my favorite cricket player is Martin Crow....but you are always my best....You play like GOD....We want you to....play....NEVERENDING

Subramanian: subramanian_as@yahoo.com: I think the Selectors would do well to select him in the coming series.. I am positive that he would perform well b'cos he is in a precarious position now and would have to concentrate harder to retain his place in the team, thereby succeeding...

ramesh Vasudevan: birh@hotmail.com: He is good for another 2 years.

Anand J Raju: anandjag@hotmail.com: Hi Harsha, I feel Azharuddin is still a match winner in himselfThe only thing is he is going throuh a rought phase now, as it has been many times earlier. The class is a permanent thing, but not the form. The cause of concern has been that he has been out of form for a long enough time that it is time for him now to switch gears and give his best to the Indian cricket. Still he is the fittest player in the cricket team, So I think he definitely more than deserves a place in the Indian team as a batsman and I am sure he will matches for India.

Minhaj Khan: minhaj@att.com: No matter what the youngsters do elders are never sidelined for some reason. I think keeping Azhar in the team will be the best deal and give him a chance to prove himself b4 he bid good bye to his career. We haven't seen much of Tandulkar being a Captain and an experienced player like Azza will be a helpful deal for Tandulkar. No wonder Tandulkar is a good batsman (which we are yet to see it after his dismal performace in the world cup & if you counter act with his fathers' death I understand it, but Azhars criticism b4 the world cup was not less then that!!!) I think Azhar should be in the team. As you said in your article "Azharuddin has had a strangely cyclical career, plundering runs while in form and looking rather lost when out of it…." May be this time he will shine and shower the Indian team with his abilities. Do not forget the criticism which had killed Azhar b4 the world cup plus the disappointing performance of his team mates or the known players like Tandulkar & others! Minhaj Khan

Raghunandan: Raghunandank@hotmail.com: Hi Azhar, These are tough times. But as they when they say - " when the going gets tough, the tough get going". You have a glorious future. You still have to complete the 10000 run mark in one days and cross atleast 8000 in tests. Consider the change in captancy losing a big burden and carry on till the day when you feel you cannot go on. Forget the critics and lose the newspapers. Just concentrate on cricket and perform well to make your fans jump with joy again. Regards, Raghunandan

Taha: taha@bu.edu: Azhar..I am all behind you. I think you were, are and will be a great player for a while. I must tell you this much though, that when you really think you cannot play, you should retire gracefully, and not let any other factors into your consideration. If you can gurantee me, the selectors and the rest of India that confidence, then I dont think that you should be dropped, and the decision should be wholly yours. It is your decision...and depends on how honest you are with yourself and everyone else associated with you and cricket. (ie. 900million people) Take care....and inshallah you will get what you deserve. Khudahafiz....make India proud...make me proud as an Indian. Taha

Vinit Tare: vinit_t@hotmail.com: Hi Prem, I believe Azhar should be given another 3 months to get back his lost golden touch and prove that he is still a run getter. No1 reason is that as u all say, playing on subcontinent pitches. Another reason is replacements. Nobody wrote who will replace Azhar's presence and reliability to keep scoreboard moving(when he is in touch off course). Only 3 names come 2 mind, Kambli, Ramesh, Khurasiya but nobody has really proved himself and u cannot rely on them on their fitness, agility, felding, catching not to talk of batting alone. I firmly believe Azhar still has that capability of poundig the likes of Clusner and must be given another chance. Thanx Vinit

somayajulu: somayajulus@rocketmail.com: Yes, Azharuddin should be included in the team. Remember Kapil Dev was given long innings to break world record of wickets taken by any bowler. Has this happend to Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border might not have broken Gavaskar's record.Till Azharuddin Leaves Test cricket on his own, he should be included irrespective of his form. This is the minimum that our country should bear for the services done by a successfull Captain.

anand: anandv369@hotmail.com: YAY !! obviously guys !! I am sure he has a little bit left in him and he should be let to decide whether or not to continue. otherwise no one would continue with so much criticism. he knows he can and HE WILL.

Prasanna: lkp@mailcity.com: Hi Harsha, Azhar in my mind should definitely be in the team. He has more than a couple of seasons left in him and he can perform well as a player than as a captain. There is no media pressure on him and I am sure that he will perform better. He is a great asset in the field and gives more importance to fitness and above all he has the willingness and hunger to score more. He definitely has a couple of wristy hundreds and a lot more leg glances left in him. Hope the selectors dont ignore him.

Sunil Kulkarni: kulkarni@hclt.com: Azhar should be there in the team, he can still play good cricket. He has the talent to come out of the bad form, in case he is not selected the whole world will miss a artistic , classy batsman.

PERVEZ: pdubash@hotmail.com: MR HARSHA IT WILL BE OF IMMENSE HELP TO SACHIN AND INDIA AS A WHOLE TO HAVE AN EXPERIANCE PERSON AS AZZURUDDIN IN THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM. CLASS DESERVES A CHANCE OVER FORM. AZZA WILL MAKE A GRAND COMEBACK. SO LETS WISH SACHIN,AZZA AND THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM LOADS OF SUCESS

Ravi: sravi@lucent.com: Yes, the selectors MUST RETAIN Azhar.

Shadab Aizaz: shadab77@yahoo.com: Azharuddin should be in the team and Im sure he will bounce back strongly like he always has and defy his critics which I know are most of YOU!!!! C'mon azhar...u can do with the help of the Almighty!!!!

Ramprasad: rpmvadi@hotmail.com: I feel that unlike last time when Sachin was sacked and Azhar was reinstated as the skipper, Azhar realises that his chances of coming back to lead the team are not there anymore. And with no accountability and the pressure that comes along with that as a captain, he will concentrate on improving his image/statistics before be takes a graceful exit. Remember Azhar used to express regreat at not having really scored a number of runs despite his potential. As a result of this, we might see him play less of back-door lobbying and more of a team man. I think with his experience, he will be valuable to the team. Whatever his limitations, he was a good player on his day and sacking him from the team is surely disrespecting our cricketing culture and our players. I wish he comes good and proves his value in the coming years and will remain in our memories as a great player/fielder and a successful captain.

Fazel: fazel@skypoint.com: A definite 'Yes'. Here is wishing Azhar good luck and hoping that he will produce a few magnificent innings in the next couple of years before he retires with honor and dignity.

Chakra: chakra_v@hotmail.com: No

Sundara: RajagoS@tvratings.com: Keep him in the team..

Vijay: vijayrc@hotmail.com: Never Before and Never Again - was/will there be a player like Azhar..a double YaY!!

naman: namanrs@hotmail.com: Yay, yay yay. Let him have a last hurrah. Maybe without the captaincy his form will improve dramatically!

Back