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Mohammad Azharuddin debate

kishore: kishore@purdue.edu: let azza stay in the team please...& bring back kambli!

Moid: mak424@hotmail.com: Its a big Yay for Azza

: I don't think Haraduddin desired place in Indian team. You wright this because you are good friend of Haruddin. His mostly run in dead pitches & weaker bolwing.

Arun: earunkumar@hotmail.com: In my opinion, the selectors did the right thing in sacking Azhar as the captain. But, when it comes to having him in the team, I think Azhar has not been all that bad to be shown the way out. I think he fully deserves a place in the playing eleven in both one dayers and tests.

Giri Nanduru: gnanduru@rocketmail.com: I think Azhar deserves to be in the team on the basis of his batting and fielding merit compared to the available pool of talent. Atleast he should be given couple of tours to prove himself or to go out on his own. The time is not ripe yet to make a decision to leave him out of the squad. There is clearly no justification for prematurely axing him. He has done the country proud so many times. We need to remember that. I hope Sachin and Azhar will come together to give Indian fans reasons to celebrate as they switch roles as the millenium draws to a close.

Rajesh Subramanian: rsubrama@bbn.com: Yay! As a batsman Azhar is GREAT!! He should be included into the team and he sure will be back in form. Go Azhar!! Go India!!

chandra surbhat: chandra.surbhat@corporate.ge.com: Azhurrudin should be droppedit does not matter whether he is fit or not, it is time for him to be told that he is no longer required.

parag thatte: pthatte@hotmail.com: i think what harsha bhogle says is right. one feels extremely sad about the plight of the batsman who has not only the statistics to please the mind but also the style and class to gladden the heart.

goputhas: mgoputhas@hotmail.com: YES. AZHAR SHOULD BE IN THE TEAM ATLEASE FOR ONE MORE YEAR.

Hari: hari@hotmail.com: Azhar should be given one more chance. He is too good a player to leave out. Before replacing him, we should ask an important Q: Who will replace Azhar in the middle order??

Vijay Jagannathan: vijayj@technologist.com: Azhar is a class act. It is only unfortunate that his performance on the field is almost always observed with huge amount of criticism. Hats off to him to come through all the criticism time and again. He is a hard working and devoted cricketer. I feel he still has some of his magical touch in store. I pray that he is selected into the team until he decides to hang up his boots.

Suresh: vtp90@hotmail.com: My guess is Azhar should be given a chance for the next two or three one day series(since it is going to be in the subcontinent), where more than once he has proved himself and atleast he can go out just before the australian tour on some high note, rather than the selectors pushing him out and then we reading about the retirement of a great player in the newspaper.

Anand Xavier: anandxavier@hotmail.com: Yes, Azhar should be given a chance given his career record. What ever they say, no right handed batsman has the style and grace of Azhar. His casual elegance is a thing of beauty. But in the mean time some young talent has to be groomed to replace Azhar, when the time comes. Vinod Kambli is a very good replacement. But we also need some younger blood too.

vissu: chakrala@hotmail.com: Azhar SHOULD stay

Ashok Mittal: amittal@thebeast.com: If selectors are any consistent with past, they are not likely to consider Azar without the fitness certificate. This is how it should be and is fair to others in past.

Alok Rakyan: alok@gol.com: I think that Azhar should still be retained in the team, he is fit, and is still better than some who are waiting in the wings. Tho the choice of dropping him as a Cpt has been ggod.

Srinivasa Cheruku: scheruku@hotmail.com: Yes! I strongly suggest for the inclusion of Azharuddin in the team down under. Time and again, he proved his immaculate ability to come out of a bad patch with stunning performances later. After all, he has been in the thick of Indian cricket's affairs either as a captain or simple player genrating invaluable contributions. Now that his batting was below his potential since last few months, before the selectors remove him from the team, he should be given atleast one more fair chance. Anyway, he is no more the captain of the side, and who knows he would come very good as a batsman if given a chance. Also, considering his services to Indian cricket for all these years, he deserves a better deal from selectors than simply dumping him to dust. Give him a last chance and let him prove whether he is still good enough to be in the Indian team or not. That way atleast his future would be in the hands of himself than on the whims and fancies of the selectors. Also, if he fails after further trials, the selectors will not be unduely criticised for dropping him in future. I, for one, believes in his exceptional abilities under adverse situations and so support for his inclusion in the Indian team. But, if he is dropped, I guess the selectors may be doing something very wrong. I request the Indian selection committee to show wiseness and include Azhar in the team. Thanks for all attention.

Abhijit: abgore@hotmail.com: I want to go back to time when Sachin first captained India. During those days though Azhars batting record wud show a couple of centuries and a couple of decent scores, his batting was grossly reckless. It was more than obvious that he was not willing to play under Sachin. There were more than a few occassions where he shud have put his head down and guided the team out of the woods but instead he chose to lash his bat at anything and evrything. He did achieve some success and in that produced that great partnership with Sachin at Capetown but his attitude wasn't one of responsibility at all. To cut the long story short, it is upto him to decide, whether he wud willing to go beyond the disappointment of not captaining the side and playing some great cricket something like what Sachin did when stripped of the captaincy. If he thinks he can do that he shud continue, else leave with pride of not being kicked out.

Anuvind Bhushan: tikks@hotmail.com: Azhar should be dropped. There is no doubt about it. We Indians always tend to look at statistics and records in a team game like cricket which is totally uncalled for. That is why we are hesitant to drop superstars. I for one feel that the country comes above everything else and everything else is secondary. Harsha says that we Indians are harsh on senior players. That is not true. On the contrary, we are generous. They don't leave till they are kicked out. Look at other countries: they don't care for reputations. Pakistan drop a supertar like waqar Younis as & when they want to suit team interest. They drop Mushtaq. England dropped Botham & Gower. Westindies dropped Greenidge. And all these guys are world-class sportsmen. who has India dropped? Nobody. If a senior player is dropped for even one test, it creates a national furore. The trouble with us is we don't have enough respect for the country & therefore we attach a lot of importance to individuals. look at Mark Taylor. He declared his innings at 334 eventhough he had several prestigious records in sight simply because he didn't want to hurt Australia's chances. Would an Indian cricketer do that? No way!! Coming to Azhar, he has hardly played when the team needed him; & that is what counts. Infact he should have retired gracefully in 96 itself. Harsha: tell me when has Azhar played a valuable test innings for India in the last two years??. Forget about the centuries against Sri lanka, Zimbabwe & etal. Those are inconsequential. I am sure any Ranji trophy player can do that with a little bit of exposure. Moreover Azhar's application to the team is in question. He seems to play as though he is doing the country a favor. There are thousands of talented youngsters out there, who would love to play for the country 7 who would give anything for that. Surely we don't need superstars. Our problem is that we are obsessed with our heroes, Harsha included. Hey....if the player is not performing.....drop him. Look at the Pakistanis...they semm top drop senior players at will. Which country has better results?? Pakistan ofcourse! Yes....there has been bribery, there has been match-fixing. But on the field, they are supreme. We, Indians talk big about continuity, stability & such. But my dear Harsha, where are the results to show?? We are a very mediocre team when it comes to results. Why? & this inspite of abundant talent. Why? Because we place individual interest above that of a nation. Because we are afraid to drop a Azharuddin when he clearly has to go. Yes he might score a century in the next test on the flat Indian tracks. But tell me Harsha is it of any significance?? This is where I admire Sachin Tendulkar. He always places team interest above that of self. it is high time Azhar goes. & the quicker he goes, the better for Indian cricket!

Balaji Ramachandran: rbalag@hotmail.com: Selectors should pick Azhar for coming OID Triangular series. In my point of view, Azhar is a good player in Sub-Continent. Now, we have to think to use the best of our talent.We have to pick him for all these flat pitch tournaments and we have to leave him for AUS,SA and WI tours. Till we do this, Azhar's Nos career look like as you said in this column. Thanks. Balaji R Little Rock, AR, USA.

Zia Ahmad: Cricket_Player@hotmail.com: I still believe that Azhar in spite of being in poor form can contribute a lot to Indian Cricket. His vast experience, his knowledge, his fielding ability and his record just speak for themselves. He needs another chance.

Ravi Mullapudi: ravi.mullapudi@usa.net: Yes !! We need Azhar very, very badly. He can still help the team with his athleticsm, fielding, slip catching besides his experience as a great batsman. We just can't afford to drop him.

Ram Sethuraman: sethurra@@netcom.ca: Azhar has been dropped from captaincy and that has saved Indian cricket. You need a person who is ready to fight for the team and he has failed in that. The decision was right. But as a player he still has some shine in his batting and what he needs is litle more concentartion and I think he will get it back now that he is dropped from captaincy. Age should mot be a concern. A 20 year old guy who is as lazy as a pig cannot replace a guy who is still shrewd in fielding even though he is 36. The selectors should select him as a player for another season and if his batting remains the same like the last season he will go himself and that should be the way for the most successful captain India has had in it's cricket history. Just a point to add, Tendulkar is a great player and hope will proove be a good captain in the future for Indian side. But he has to learn to lead and guide everyone evn if it is Azhar. He should develop the captain skill which will help him to manage any person and crisis. He has to learn that and ssince he lagged that he failed as a captain in the last time It is not Azharudddin or anything as he might think. Let me finish this. Azhar must be in the team tto give him the best option to retire from cricket as well as that will help Tendulkar to tune himself to be a goodd captian for th future. Ram Toronto

Deepak Kapoor: daapak.kapoor@riverrun.com: I Guess he still has some cricket left in him. He has been the fittest person in the team and I see no reason why he should not be the same again. I would like to see him bat in the same carefree manner as in that test match in Cape Town with Tendulkar without any burden of captaincy which must have effected his batting abilities in this stint as a captain. He should only concentrate on his batting and retire on TOP ONLY NOT NOW.

Sanjay Patel: spat9710@postoffice.uri.edu: I have always been a great fan of M.Azhar and I think he is a very good player. You can't just drop him because he had a poor performance during the last three to four months. He is a very good one day player and he can also score quickly. We definitely need his experience and cannot afford to lose him at this time.

Goutham: greddy@lifespan.org: Hi, Unless Azhar thinks he can make one last hurrah before making a glorious exit to a glorious career, it would be better for him to quit now when he has not yet hit rock bottom. But then Azhar is known to come back gloriously. He should try and gel with the team and this is something he does not seem to be doing quite weel in recent times despite being team captain.

Raju Avancha: raju_avancha@hotmail.com: I feel Azar still has cricket left in him. The testing point will be the ODI matches in the sub-continent and the subsequent series against NewZeland at home. I am sure he was hounded by the press and Past cricketers ever since he lost the match to Pakisatn in Culcutta. That took a heavy toll on his nerves and at times he looks rediculous. Now without the burden of the captaincy, I am sure he can come back into a good form. Remember, he came back with a vengence in Sri Lanka after he was dropped for the Independece cup. You can never discount Azar on Sub-Continental wickets. If that does not happen, I am sure he himself will retire from test cricket. I believe he should be a given a chance as player before any harsh decision is taken. Good Luck Azar.

Surya: ssuravarapu@hotmail.com: Selectors should pick up Azhar.

Hari Reddy: HReddy@Iname.com: yay

Kasim: sskasim@hotmail.com: I think for the services he has rendered in the past he should be given one last chance for him to take the decision himself if his bad form continues; a last chance to for him to save himself from the disgrace of being dropped.

waheed khalid: waheedm@hotmail.com: I still believe Azharuddin is the best captain and player india have ever produce .He belongs to legendary players like kapil,gavaskar,etc.He is 100% fit so why not he will be in the team for some time and if he plays good and if he fail he should retire immediately and give youngsters a chance.I also feel gaekwad should go and replace by kapil

Shridhar: shridhar@singnet.com.sg: I think Azhar should be selected for the fortcoming tourney. He has always been an excellent batsman in the conditions prevailing in the sub continent and his physical fitness is there for everyone to see. What the team management must do is to keep an open mind about his batting form and replace him if his form doesn't improve. But he definitely deserves to be selected if not for anthing else then to provide him an opportunity to redeem himself and prove his detractors wrong.

mohan pammu: mohan_pammu@hotmail.com: Azhar should be in the team for the next 3 or 4 months.

Rudy: rd48@cornell.edu: Azhar has had his day. Clearly he has had a brilliant career and his record speaks highly, but in todays world we need more dependability rather than flashy brilliance. Learn from the Aussies and the South Africans. Are we not tired of seeing India fail so consistently even after having "stars" like Azza? I think the whole country wants a team that can give solid performances rather than 1/5 day players. What is the end result, Azza has a great one day record and a decent test record, what is India's winning percentage during all that time? That should be the question rather than what is Azza's average, who cares?? except him, we want India to win, whether Azza gets a duck or a century we dont care. We do not need players like Azza, we need players like Rahul Dravid and Ganguly. Please throw him out.

vidhika: vidhikap@hotmail.com: for me he doesnt at all deserve a place in the indian team,this is not my veiw as of now it has been since 2 yrs.not only because of form but because of lack of commitment and his care-free attitude he doesnt have the right to don our cap!he's a shame to the country and evryone who watches cricket knows what all he did under sachin's captaincy and since sachin is taking over again we would certainly not like him to be in the team.he anyway hardly scores runs on challenging pitches and if u question this then u certainly know nothing of the game.all he does is play and miss,have u ever seen him hook mcgrath or donald or for that matter any fast bowler?no cause he doesnt have the stroke!his last tour to australia was more than pathetic so i suggest he just backs off otherwise i guess he'll get a kick on his backside as geoffrey would say!!

vijayaraghavan: vijayaraghavan_g@hotmail.com: FOR A PLAYER OF SUCH AN AMAZING RECORD AND FITNESS IT WUD BE A LOSS TO INDIAN CRICKET IF THE SELECTORS WERE TO DROP AZZA FOR THE FORTHCOMING SERIES! HE STILL HAS A LOT OF CRICKET LEFT IN HIM BOTH IN TERMS OF THE VAST EXPERIENCE HE HAS AND IN THE QUALITY OF THE GAME HE CAN DISPLAY. I FEEL THE SELCTORS WILL DO A GREAT INJUSTICE TO A PLAYER LIKE HIM, WHO HAS SERVED INDIAN CRICKET FOR LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE, IF THEY DECIDE TO DROP HIM. A GREAT BLUNDER WAS ALREADY COMMITED WHEN HE WAS DROPPED FOR THE INDIAN INDEPENDENCE CUP! IT'S UP TO THE MEN INVOLVED TO SEE THAT THE SAME ISN'T REPEATED! HOPING TO AZZA SPARKLE LIKE HE HAS ALWAYS DONE IN THE UPCOMING SERIES!!!!

Jag: jvootkur@silknet.com: He should be given a chance to prove his batting....

Ramesh K Sistla: : Well, may be for some more time, Azhar can be there sharing his room with someone, but we should look for a proper replacement before dropping him. As it is, track record speaks only half the truth and our selectors go only by that. Laxman couldn't find a plae in the WC because of his poor track record. Had he been there I guess he would have outplayed many of the seniors, simply because he has class. And we never gave him the confidence he needed. We know to spoil a perfect thing but don't know to make a dim diamond shine by polishing it!

Ganesh: gvenkat@usa.net: Dear Azar, We know very well that you have a lot of cricket left in you and we would like you to take the present situation in a very positive manner and you should come back with great knocks without which people start forgetting your contribution in the past. Please help the team with your valuable skill and by making more runs, showing your all skills and show that age is not a criteria for atleast sometime now. We wish you the very best. Please concentrate on just cricket and score runs.

parikh: parikh1019@yahoo.com: He should be selected atleast for next 4 months untill Australia tour. If he does well, he goes there.

Ravi: rravi_22@hotmail.com: Azhar should go. I think it is time we look forward to the future of our cricket. He has been around for a long long time and not many times these days does he get a winning knock. His statistics will not show that. It is more important to score runs when the team needs them rather than score after a match is already drawn or the team is comfortably in command.

Rakesh: raks_dharmala@hotmail.com: Yes ! Mohammad Azharuddin must be picked !!

Balasubramanian: rv_bala@hotmail.com: Yay, Azhar should be given a chance. He is totally different in style and playing in the sub-continent. If he fails in this then its high time he quit. Having a fielder like him India saves 20-25 runs per innings. Afterall India's best captain should be given a chance to prove his mettle.

Rakesh Shenoy: rakesh_shenoy@yahoo.com: Kick him out if he is not willing to go.He has screwed Indian cricket for a long time.

BHARAT: hojdia@hk.super.net: Azhar shuld retire now he is the most useless plyer in cricket team whenever india need a good inning from him he screw up all the time only he can bat when India in a good postin or they are playing for sure draw.

P N Bhatta: pnbhatta@hotmail.com: Obviously, he is still the best at No.4, in one-dayers. It is difficult to look beyond him at No. 5 in Test. Of course, there is no doubt, that he still our best fielder!

John: johnj@hotmail.com: YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! Not that I am a particular fan of Azhar, but that man has more years of cricket in him!! He is the fittest man on the team at 36..duh..!! And he has much more to give to Indian cricket. Without the pressures of captaincy, i feel he needs to be told to go out there and just enjoy his cricket.Maybe in the mode he attacked Klusener in eden gardens..oh..what a day that was!!!

Sachin Girish Kumar: sachin_gk@hotmail.com: Azhar should be definitely in the team because if he decides to play the way he played under Sachin the last time around then bowlers around the world better watch out. Give him one more long last chance. For somebody who has given 15 years of his life for Indian cricket he deserves a last final hurrah. He will surely come out on top. Mark my words.

Uday: uday87@hotmail.com: Azar should take rest for 3 to 4 months, better to come back again Selectors should ask azar to take rest for 3 to 4 months

Krishna: kjonnavithula@hotmail.com: Azhar as a player must be allowed till he quits as such an honour should be left to a player who never looked for records and always played for the country

Abdul: chl4573@aol.com: Azhar is gonna rock back to form like he did in 92 and 96. He is gonna silence his critics with the bat. This guy still has some years of cricket and he knows that. Its all the hype created by the media and the jeolous former crickers thats brought him down now. I hope the selectors realize that. Now that the captaincy pressure is off and he can play freely.

raj: rajkanna@hotmail.com: Azhar's performance though fluctuating has been par excellence. He was a match winner and a successfull captain. Now that his tempermant has taken a back seat and since he is no longer a match winner it would be apt for him to retire and give an oppurtunity to younger players who r talented and waiting to make their mark on the international cricket arena.

vijay: themillkid@yahoo.com: Azhar should quit in grace, not be dropped, which will make millons of his fan like me very depressed.

Mukesh Agarwala: magarwala@hotmail.com: He should be selected. Unless of course he is physically unfit.

KRISHNAN: GANESHK@STATE.MI.US: IT IS DEFINITELY YAY. JUST AS YOU HAVE WRITTEN HE IS THE FITTEST AND HE HIMSELF IS NOT READY TO RETIRE. AS FOR FORM, AZHAR STILL IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BATSMAN IN THE INDIAN TEAM. WHO CAN FORGET THE DOUBLE CENTURY PARTNERSHIP HE AND SACHIN HAD AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA. IT JUST TAKES ONE REALLY GOOD INNINGS TO BE BACK. I THINK HE SHOULD BE GIVEN ONE MORE CHANCE FOR THE ONE-DAYERS AND IF THE FORM STILL REMAINS THE SAME THEN I THINK HE HIMSELF MIGHT CALL IT A DAY.

Amit G: acg1@hotmail.com: nay nay nay,,, for the last time, forget the statistics. They r just a bunch of numbers which fool u when put together. It doesnt say what the conditions were when the runs wer scored and when they wer not. Was India at 7 for 3 and desperately need ing that ODI or was it a drawn test match against sri lanka on the superb wickets of the subcontinent. Thank you Azhar, for all ur contributions to indian cricket. Put a feather in ur cap and let india explore some much needed young & fresh talent.

Amit Poddar: amitpoddar@yahoo.com: Hi, I think Azhar has had his stint. Now he should give way to fresh talent. He was a great batsmen, but now the time has come for him to hang his boots.

srini: srini@usa.net: Watch out for Md. Azhar in august would be the word after he gets into the team . But will this happen , because our board is famous for not selecting people who are good.

rakesh gupta: guptar@frl.orst.edu: it is time for azza to retire. if he doesn't retire i hope that selsectors drop him for good. all the signs are that he will be dropped. azhar is a great batsman. he has done very well for india but it is time for him to GO! rg

Anupam: anupam_varma@hotmail.com: Hi I think Azzu can still be on the team for a this series at least. It would be best to let him decide himself about his retirement at this stage (May be after the forthcoming series?? What say?). His experience is to good to be done away with a strike of the knife. Cheers Anupam

A.Sahay: alok_sahay@yahoo.com: It is time Azhar should quit.

xq22: xq22@yahoo.com: no way. no azza plz thank you

Kiran Hebbar: kiranheb@yahoo.com: The selectors should take a chance with Azhar. He could rediscover his form now that he doesn't have the burden of captaincy. There is no batsman in sight whose place Azhar is holding, so it would be wise to continue with Azhar albeit on prabation.

swaraj: swaraj@cisco.com: YES, Azhar should be give more chances to play for the country and it should be his dessision to play or not and not the selectors decission. good luck Azhar.

Ashfaq: a_isani@hotmail.com: He is a Hero of Indian Cricket. He should be given a chance and I am sure that He will be able to prove his expertise as a world class Batsman. Good Luck! Azharuddin.

Dharmendra Vahalia: dharmendravahalia@yahoo.com: I believe that the Azhar India wants now is the one we saw in SA in 1997. People criticized his carefree batting, but in him we have a solid bat that can comprehensively destroy the best bowling attacks even on foreign pitches. Interestingly, the author has also missed a valuable point in this article that Azhar has always hit himself out of trouble, something that he can do more freely without the load of captaincy. I watched his innings in Pak. in 1989 when he was almost going to be dropped, so was the character of his innings in Calcutta in 1992, first test against England that started the revival of Indian cricket in the 90s. I believe that besides the usual slump, he has been weighed down by too much media pressure and that from high expectations from his countrymen. Give him a free innings and he can be a joy to watch. Not too long ago, he held the record of the fastest 100 in ODIs. Also, I have no doubt in my mind that we will not see the Sachin of 1998 Sharjah Championship. Captaincy will weigh on his mind, particularly him, for being so passionate about his job. If Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid can put their heads down and graft their runs, Azza can be brought in at #6 or #7 in the form of rearguard counterattack the role played so well by Mahanama for SL in 1996 World Cup. See the match against SA in 99 WC. He started slow because of some of the most immaculate fast bowling I have noticed from anyside, but Azza finished briskly towards the end. The only question is his teamspirit. Despite his statement of cooperation with Sachin, he was talked to by the Board only 16 months ago for not being a team player. Can he make the difference as a team man? I guess at this crucial stage of Sachin's captaincy, he'd rather have a less talented but more committed man than the Azza of 1997. I hope Azza continues with a fresh and constructive frame of mind, and it will do a world of good to the Indian team.

pramod: suvipra@hotmail.com: yay for azza

Yahya: yahyak@ee.pdx.edu: I think he still has a lot of cricket in him yet as his record has shown. He is still one of the most graceful legside players.

Sajid Bhombal: sajidbhombal@hotmail.com: If it is yay or nay and nothing inbetween, then well, yay, why not?

Anil: asanil@usa.net: Azharuddin Should be allowed to represent India. Give him one more chance and then decide

anjay: anjayp@yahoo.com: i think azar still has some cricket left.what a wonderful player he is its just that hes going through a lean phase. one cannot be the highest run getter in one day cricket just by flook,there has to be some thing.i think he should be tried for one more sereis and if he fails to perfrom hes smart enough to call it a day

Hari: polisetty@mailexcite.com: Azhar, has entertained fans for over a decade, all over the world with his delightful stroke play. But if his end has come, he should accept it gracefully and quit instead of being forced out.

Niranjan: ankishore@hotmail.com: Nope.

Shilpa : shilpa@inreach.com: I think that the selectors should not be in a hurry to remove Azhar from the team. As Harsha has written, Azhar's lean period may well be passing. And now that the pressure of captaincy is lifted off his shoulders, he will probably do well and anyway, you don't remove experienced players just because they are having a bad patch!

paddys: paddys@microsoft.com: Azhar still has a years cricket left in him .. He will be the best batsman after Tendulkar ... whatever Gavaskar says !!

Dayanand Naik: dnaik@hotmail.com: Yes, he should be retained in the team. I think he has atleast a year of good cricket in him.

Brijpal Singh: brijpal_singh@hotmail.com: Yay, give him another chance.

Jai Angle: Jai_angle: I think Azhar can still play for a little while. He is still fit as you can very well in his fielding and running between the wickets. He is a genius when he is in form and he had always struck back when being criticized for poor form. This time as the pressure of captaincy not there, I am sure he is going to fight back with some excellent batting display in the next coming matches. He has done India proud in the past and will continue to do it in the future. Good Luck Azhar!

Sanjay: sanmahajan@yahoo.com: Yes, he should be kept in the team as he is the seniormost player now and no doubt a good cricketer.

hemanth: hganta@hotmail.com: I think Azza is still one of the most dazzling perfomers in world cricket and can belt runs in the subcontinent, being a world record holder in many categories and the fact! that he is still the most succesful captain that India had(period), we should give him the opportunity of leeting us know when he wants to retire. All the Best Azhar, We know you can still do it.

Ramana Gudla: r_gudla@hotmail.com: Azhar should be retained in the team.The reason, he is a great player. No doubt, he has done badly in the past few months but, looking at his carrier, he desrves one more chance. He is fully fit and there is crickrt left in him. One cannot judge him by looking at his few past performences and leave behind his speectacular carrier till now. Agreed, one should perform at all times at that international stage but, azhar deserves a chance. I hope the indian selectors dont play any politics with this guy!

g: z@z.com: nay

Shekar: dshekar@yahoo.com: It should be yay for the two tournaments. That will show if his mind and body are willing. There are no big tournaments coming around, and youngsters can always be tried later. Also, lots of youngsters were tried recently leading upto the World Cup, and I don't think we had any good prospect to fill Azhars position. He might also find form in the sub continent pitches. Keeping in mind his contribution to Indian cricket he should be given the opportunity to decide when he wants to retire.

Bala: balakrishnanj@usa.net: HE should be in the team for the coming one day internationals..One must keep a close watch on his commitment and then decide on future course..

commander murty: mayi@bom8.vsnl.net.in: azhar is great and he will do well definitely and bring India the pride of winning. my answer is 'yay'

tens: tens_98@hotmail.com: we should give him another chance b'cos if u look at his averages and he is in the top 10 best fielders of the world. So i sincerely feel he should be in the team. He is lot better than other players in the team.

C.V.Kannan: cvkannan@worldnet.att.net: Azhar is one of the finest batsman India has. He has lots of cricket left in him. I would have voted him for captaincy had that been an option. But that being already decided, I will definitely vote in his favour to be in the team for the next 2 to 3 years.

Venkat: sunda00@hotmail.com: Azhar can never be counted out of any test side simply for his sheer brilliance unless the mumbaiwallahas put in use their proverbial "mumbai-favoritism" and decide to use the excuse of fitness and push the greatness into oblivion. It is sad that while the likes of kapil dev and sunny gavaskar has been given the due accolades for their achievements, azhar has always been criticised. In fact he cd probabaly be the most un-appreciated player of our times. Whatever, azhar still and will kick some solid ass.

John: merwinj@hotmail.com: I sincerely feel that he should be included in the side. Chances are, he will come good this time

saujesh: saujesh@yahoo.com: he is becomming more shabby than before two years. if he is not volunteer to be out of the team , he should be sacked. kick out this/or any selfish guy who doesnt think about the team and apploud just his misleading fitness. sp

Nisheeth: nsrivast@hotmail.com: I believe Azzaruddin should be in the 14 but before selecting him a proper care should be provided like Tendulkar was given before world Cup he was out for 1 or 2 sereies but he was in the figured 16 Azharudding should be given similar treatment and if he is not fit by August 12 1999 but he should be in the 16 or reserve player for the team. We cannot forget his deliverables and his fittness He is still a great motivator on the grounds. bye & take care

Sagar: sagar_mps@hotmail.com: NO, He is too good to be omitted for the likes of Kamblis, Khurasiyas, and who else is waiting for a slot to be vacated by him??? He is genuinely good in subcontinent and still our third best after Dravid and Sachin outside India. He should quit nor should he be left out.

anil: pidurika: Yay, ajju bhai needs to be given a chance, considering the fact that he comes good under home conditions which are likely to prevail in Srilanka.(and also by the fact that I belong to Hyderabad).

Gopinath: vgopinat@cisco.com: yay. Azhar, I feel is still fit, and a mastercrafter.

Ravi: grreddy@rocketmail.com: Mohd.Azharuddin should be retained in the indian cricket team. He still has got lot of cricket left in him. He is the strongest fielder in the Indian side despite being 36 yrs. By dropping the responsibility of captaincy I'm sure he will once again regain his form and will play his best. My best wishes to Azhar and the Indian team.

Harjinder Sidhu: sidhu@ca.freei.net: Keep it in the team, he is the most senior player in the team. He still can play against any attacks. Have him give a chance to play and it will be justified itself. I am sure he'll come back roaring as tiger. good luck to you Azza. Harjinder.Sidhu (USA)

Srinath: jsrinath@hotmail.com: Well, Harsha sounds pretty convincing. Indian cricket has never been just another day at the office. It's more than retiring an aging, and increasingly incompetent, employee. Azhar deserves to time his own way out - just this once !

phani kumar: phanibulusu@hotmail.com: Yay

vinodj: vjairaj@netscape.net: HI! I feel that Azhar is past his prime. At 36, even though he is fully fit, I feel that he should NOT be in the side. His position at # 4 is a liability. We have the world's best 1,2,3, but after that, the tail starts. We just can't depend on Azhar. Again, I'd hate to say this- Azhar has to go. Vinod

Srinivas VV: Srinivas_vadali@yahoo.com: Dear Azhar : We knew each other as younger people before your famed entry into international cricket. Although my heart and mind tell me no, my judgement suggests otehrwise. All good things must come to an end one day. I think the time is right now for you. If you desire, score a century and call it a day! We will miss you whenever you decide to go away from lime light, your graceful flicks and the joy you bring to fielding either in slips or deep!

Venkat Krishnan: nayakar@earthlink.net: Azhar should be in the team. Irrespective of how he plays until the time we head down south, we need to decide objectively if he is gonna be able to contribute in Australia.

sameer gharpurey: sgharpurey@hotmail.com: Yes!Azhar should be included!

racha: racha@rediffmail.com: azhar if u hav even an iota of self respect quit now!

rajeev: RGOPAL1@UIC.EDU: i THINK aZHAR SHOULD BE GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE. hE HAS THE STUFF TO PRODUCE AND WE HAVE KNOW HIM TO PERFORM WELL WITHOUT THE BURDEN OF BEING THE CAPTAIN.

Mohan Achanta: anvkm@rediffmail.com: I feel, it would be a hasty decision to drop Azhar at this moment. He is still the fittest player, the best slip fielder, most experienced player of the current team and is one of the best middle order batsmen that India has ever produced. As Harsha observed, next three months will surely answer all the questions. As of now I do not see(not read about) any suitable replacement waiting in the blocks and is being blocked by Azhar. So I feel it would be a better idea to groom any/few (best)available youngster(s) for the position and let him earn the place proving he is better than Azhar. Then even Azhar can not complain.

ravi: vrb_bab@mailcity.com: Though records and stats show good work. The problem is in a team , we need motivation , that is not possible if we have an Old War Horse leading. It either has to be in the mid of work or the best option is the 'Stable' - Commentry box! Its better to admire from there! U can be of good use too (Ex: Ravi Shastri) Talks a lot from there, but I have seen him play which is volta face of what he talks.

karthik: s_k_karthik@hotmail.com: Azhar should be given 1 more chance.Atleast for the tournaments in sub continent.

Rajesh Shastri: rshastri@usa.net: Azhar should be picked for the one day tournaments in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Simply because his record is oustanding on slow pitches and there is no batsman waiting in the wings who can come close to his class. the England selectors made the same mistake by picking immature players for the test series against New Zealand. Now they have gone back to Hick and Atherton!! When the time comes let Azhar decide for himself whether he wants to continue playing. But please do not drop him.

Irfan Abdul-Haseeb: haseeb4@hotmail.com: I think Azhar deserves another chance to show that he is still capable batsman. It is unfair for a great batsman to be dropped after the World Cup. You just cannot put all the blame on the captain. There are other players and circumstances to be accounted for. Time and again the Indian media has jumped on the bandwagon to criticize Azhar to sell their writings. Personally he maybe introvert, but not his play. I think if he is physically fit he should play again. Irfan

Prabir: prabirk@hotmail.com: Azhar should be dropped from Indian squad without any farther delay. Sachin is captain again, and if Azhar's attitude under Sachin's previous captaincy is anything to go by, we'll be far better off without him than with him.

Gopinath: vgopi@hotmail.com: The Team still needs Azar, do not drop him. -gopi.

kidafce: shiv2206@hotmail.com: Azar's averages are most impressive. So were Siddhu's. Azar has to answer for Siddhu.

aanand: atula@cheerful.com: nay. thanks to Azhar for his wornderful contribution to cricket but after looking at a stratagy less world cup performance, he has to take the blame. And you forgot to mention one interesting fact. His performance under Sachin's leadership!

Krishna Acharya: krishna.acharya@chase.com: I guess, its time for Azhar to quit gracefully. He hasn't been consistent; averages may be deceptive, couple of good innings can boost one's average. Its better to rope in a youngster and groom him for the *future*.

Murali: mbamurali@hotmail.com: Azhar is just too good to be sent out unceremoniously like dropping him from the team just because he is having a lean patch. He has to be given more chances. So, it's YAY!!

anup gupta: anup_gupta@hotmail.com: He should retire now considering that there are new younger batsmen now

Raghunath: rnavanee@hotmail.com: Azhar is undoubtedly a great batman and should be given another chance to prove himself worthy of a place in the Indian team.

Subbu: subbs_97@yahoo.com: I am posting another message, but I expect this one, like my earlier ones, to go unnoticed, unwept and unsung, since none of my earlier attempts have found their way into your Readers' columns. Anyway here are my comments: Harsha Bogle needs to have his Niceness gene removed. It's time to stop being deferntial to Azhar, and call a spade a spade. Azhar has looked totally self-immersed the alst few years: witness various comments from him re: no desire to paly tests, field in the slips and so on. He wants to make money, and the quick and easy way is to play ODIs. The harder arena of Tests has clearly shown him to be wanting. When analyzing his career record, will someone please separate his subcontinental efforts from efforts abroad? I am sure that will make an interesting comparison. From all of the efforts abroad that I have been able to watch, Azhar has looked ill at ease against anything other than spin. He hasn't exhibited any desire at all to stick around when the going gets a bit sticky, forgive the pun. He hasn't led the team in any manner or form, except in fielding. Why retain him when we should be blooding younsters for the future? What earthly reason can there be, save nostalgia and a perverted sense of noblesse oblige, to retain him in Tests? I think it's time to say "Thank you, Azhar, for the subcontinental memories, but we would like your porotege, laxman, to step into your shoes. Bye".

amin: kajli@vsnl.com: azhar is still good for another 2years.help him continue

Prasad: prazad@home.com: It is upto Azhar. We are not the one to decide and we dont have any reason to drop him. Prasad

Girish Maiya: maiya@uiuc.edu: Keep him in the team.

Sajid: sajidtajamul@usa.net: Azharuddin,can still play for some time,cos he has got a lot of experiance,and he can come back to form very soon.we can give him a try for a year.

Srinivas Murthy: smurthy01@sprynet.com: Azharuddin should be in the team and every effort should be made by the media, selection committe, his team mates and the cricket loving public that he is not an unwanted burden. Azhar is an alltime great and should be given due credit, not withstanding his performance in the world cup.

Rajashekar Reddy Gudur: grsreddy@iname.com: AZAR's talent is not replacable!!! Yes, tell me one yougster name who can replace him for coming series? If you can...then I accept he should be dropped.

Manoranjan Panda: manoranjanpanda@hotmail.com: Yay

Ramakrishna: ram@panthagani.com: He should be considered only for sub-continent pitches

biju kachappilly: biju_jk@yahoo.com: Big Yay for Azhar!!

Aakash: : nay

Kartikey Trivedi: ku_trivedi@hotmail.com: If I would have given the opportunity to select, I would like to give rest to Azahar. He needs little tune up in his performance. Instead giving chance new comer will be the welcome for tommorows cricket. Thanks, Kartikey Trivedi.

sultan: sultanacaj@hotmail.com: Hi harsha, The selection commitee should not drop azhar. I think the reasons need not be eloborated. Inspite of his failures in recent cricket, he could surely act as a motivating factor for our young cricketers just by being in our side.

sanjay: pvsk10@usa.net: I think Azhar deserves one last chance because it is when the chips are down that Azhar comes out trumps!

MANISH MISRA: MISRA@CHE.UTEXAS.EDU: DEAR SACHIN, "THE PAST IS HISTORY, THE FUTURE IS MYSTERY. THE PRESENT IS A PRESENT AND THAT IS WHY IT IS CALLED A PRESENT." Our prayers and best wishes are with you and your team. Sincerely, Manish Misea

Nawal Ahuja: nawalahuja@hotmail.com: Azhar should be retained in the team at least for another 3-4 series.

n menon: nandmenon@excite.com: hell yay!!!!! a player of the class od azza cant be left out of any side least of all the india cricket team!!!!

Mirza Baig: mrbaig@yahoo.com: Azhar should be in the side, its just that he is going thru bad form

Ramanath: Ramnath.Shanbag@gecapital.com: I feel Azzhar should be given atleast one more chance.

Sreedhar Byreeka: byreeka@hotmail.com: First, Thank You very much Harsha for the statistics and the analysis. My answer will be rather philosophical or something in those lines...All I would say is ... when Sunny, Kapil were given the choice to decide when to quit, there would be nothing wrong in doing the same with Azhar, even if he is a good 4,000 runs behind Gavaskar and many many records less than Gavaskar. Azhar was and still is a kind of a bridge between the Gavaskar/Sunny era to Sachin/Srinath era. He is in the process of passing on the batton.....and who else is the best judge than Azhar himself, to decide when he has actually handed-over the batton. Forget how well he would be able to communicate with Sachin or Jadeja or how well he could weild that thin bat of his.....just think about how many boys you need to replace Azhar the batsman, the fielder and ofcourse the gentleman and once you got the count.... check whether you actually have them and then 'think' of 'dropping' Azhar or whatever.....Till then I would just watch Azhar ....... Sreedhar Byreeka 118, E.Squire Dr. Apt #4 Rochester, NY 14623

Neerav Gupta: neeravg@rediffmail.com: Hi Harsha, You yourself have suggested that even at 36 Azhar is the best slip fielder and the best in shape in Indian team, then why should not selectors select a man of his calibre. I think Azhar should get one more chance, since this is not his age to retire like Keppler Wessels of SA kept on playing till he was almost 40. Azhar has yet to score reuns and become the first batsman in the world to score 10000 runs in the ODIs. I know this is a tough decision to make for selctors but where can you find an alternative for Azhar. Taking away the Captaincy was alright since that has even affected his own form, but he deserves one more chance.... Neerav Gupta, Best of Luck Azhar...

Rohit Gupta: rohit_ntu@hotmail.com: Definetely yay !

Santosh Rao: santosh_rao@prusec.com: Yay

Sandeep Aligh: Sandeepsaran@hotmail.com: Yes, They should include Mh.Azharuddin in the team as he is still the finest and best fielder in the team.. They should give him one more chance to prove he's still fit..

Malini: docmalu@yahoo.com: Azhar should defnitely be on the side.

Raghavan: ragav@asu.edu: he should be in the team

Sarath: msarathcrls96@hotmail.com: Azharuddin must be in the team for his fielding talents atleast. He is much better than TENDULKAR. The new guys are batting well but Azhar too was quite similar in his days and still now he is not total flop. Above all political and vested interests decide the fate, not the talent or fitness.

Vipin: vipinps@rocketmail.com: Azhar should be in the team.

Vikas: v_ganoorkar@yahoo.com: I strongly feel that Azhar should be retained in the team. He is a rock solid batsmen and just needs a good day to demolish any bowling in the world. In the last match of the world cup he had started to show his form. Moreover, a player of the class of Azahar cannot be counted off so easily. Look at what Australians did for Mark Taylor. After a dismal period he came back with a bang. So, will Azhar. We need to keep our confidence on him. In any case the present Indian middle order without Azhar strangely lacks the depth inspite of the presence of stars like Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, because after them there is nobody to take charge of the situation. So, there should be absolutely no doubts in retaining Azhar in the team.

Ram Krishnan: ram_krishnan_99@yahoo.com: Definitely he deserves at least one more chance. It could have been otherwise if we had umpteen youngsters knocking for the no.4/5 slots. which is not the case. so get a youngster and azhar. Make azhar compete for the position. Indian cricket will be the winner.

R S Rajesh: rsrajesh@excite.com: yay Let's give him a chance for 2-3 Tournaments. Let him decide after that. Good Luck to AZHAR.

Surendranath R bada: sbada@hotmail.com: My sincere idea is Azhar should make a way to youngsters and resign on his own, that is more respectable for himself. Ofcourse he is still one of the best fielder inspite of his age. It will be very tough for him to play against world class bowlers like Mc Graw, Gilliepse, Donald, Pollock, Akhtar,Gough, etc. The BCCI has made greart mistakes without having stand byes for worldcup99. Atleast they should realize their mistakes and prepare atleast one more INDIA XI for ODI'S as well as Test matches. No need to write more than this. thanks & bye Surendranth R Bada

Bhaskar: Bhaskar V. Rayavaram: I think Azhar, having such an enigmatic career, would deserve another chance. He is just 890 runs away from his 10,000 runs in ODIs. Kapil was continued even when he was not in his best to reach the bowling record. It will be a fitting honor for master of wrists, to reach that well deserved land mark. And India will be the only country to have their batsmen score 10,000 runs in both kinds of cricket, I think for long and long time to come. I will keep Azhar, I am sure he will reply every critic in style.. as he always did.

Anand: anandh@actel.com: yay. Azhar should be on the team to see how he shapes up after losing the captaincy. I think he still has 2-3 years of international cricket left in him Anand

Harish Sankaran: harish_sankaran@hotmail.com: Please relax and retire. Don't allow us to see more of you anymore.

Siddharth Pandit: siddharthpandit@usa.net: Nay. Azhar should continue otherwise i would miss the most elegant batsmen i have ever seen on a cricket field. And then we do not have a proper replacement for him in the ranks. Replacement probably we would never have as we did not have any for Kapil and Sunil too. If that is the case then it is purely upto Azhar to coninue.

pradeep: damalsri@hotmailcom: Azhar I think you have many more years of wonderfull cricket left in you. I have a hunch that you will run into excellent form without the burden of captaincy. I think that many of your well wishers are waiting to see a repeat of your innings at capetown (???) Go down with your guns blazing. BEST OF LUCK

karthik: k_govind@hotmail.com: I would certainly keep him in the team for this tour atleast

VNM: vnm@hotmail.com: Yay. He should be in the team. We just can't drop him like that...one blow is bearable, two will be deadly!

Pramod: pdhulkhed@hotmail.com: It should be nay for AZAR. As Azar is getting old and being good with statistics, Azar is definately shaky against Pace bowling in abroad conditions. Even though he comes up with good with his batting, India can very well groom an youngster in his place as Our selectors did not mind loosing matches with Azar, Should continue to do so and assist new comers for good. Azar is hero at home but BIG ZERO aborad when really required. PS: I really thank Azar for his fine geasture for contributing Rs.5 laks for Kargil Fund.

pramod: pmahadev@nortelnetworks.com: Yay any day for the great Azhar.

Sudhakar: S_thevar@yahoo.com: Azhar should be in the Indian team. When you think he is down he comes out with the knockout punch.

Rajg: rajg990@rocketmail.com: Azar should RETIRE NOW. No point in playing him now, since it's already a confirmed fact that he will be a passenger in the AUSTRALIA series. Better to give chances to younger batsmen waiting in the wings - Breakdancer, Khuraisa, Sarath etc - such that they will be a part of the team .

suresh raghavan: rsuresh@houston.geoquest.slb.com: If Sachin was made captain with the eye on future, as per Wadekar, then the same should hold good for team selection too. Time to try out Khurasia/some other youngster instead of having Azhar in the team. Based on body language, attitude,performance Azhar's days are over.

sudhir s pattalil: spattalil@yahoo.com: I feel he should be in our team, every cricketer have lean period, the only point is whether he overcome it or not from the past experience, hope azar will come back, Also he is the most experienced man in our team. He should be there for another year or two. He is not as bad as Kapil in his last term.

shash: shashim@rocketmail.com: Harsha is right when he writes that Azhar's career has been a roller coaster ride with more ups than downs. I think he deserves to be retained in the side until he decides when to call it quits. Indian cricket atleast owes one of its best batsman much more than uncermoniously dropping him.

shailesh: midwicket@hotmail.com: I think it would me wise of him to retire gracefully now than being kicked out later.

Mahesh Chandrasekharan: mahesh@idmb.tamu.edu: Mohammed Azharuddin! What an entry it was into the test arena. I had heard my late grandfather proclaiming the deeds of Vijay Hazare, Vijay Merchant and Manjrekar (sr), as to how they came in with a bang and left an indelible mark in Indian cricketing annals. I can proudly now state that in my days I had seen a young, Gawky kid blast three centuries against the English and tought the teachers a few lessons in thier own subject. I am proud to say that I have seen one of the spectacular feilder India has ever produced. It was in Benson-Hedges 1985, Azhar was given the ball to bowl and the batsman hit it back at a nasty pace right back at him. Reflexes...he took the ball on the top of his head and fell back as the force of the stroke pushed him back. Those memories are sweet and will have an lasting impression of Indian and world cricket's finest player. But, watching him in the world cup, I kept rubbing my eyes, this is not the same guy. WHAT HAPPENED?. He was prodding and probing and his existence at the crease was tortured. Regarding captaincy, I agree with him that a captain is only as good as his players. Assuming Azhar is retained in the side. If his bad form persists. He becomes an unnecessary passenger and the selctors might be well served to get in a fresher blood. He can prove that he is good in domestic games. It is time to say goodbye but for his commercial and monetary reasons I don't see why he should be retained in the side?.

Indranil Chandra: ichandra@msn.com: Yes, he should be retained, for the time being.

Venkat Gopalakrishnan: venkat.gopal@funb.com: With the ghost of captaincy behind him i think Azhar shud be a more relaxed man can really concentrate on getting his form back and do a tendulkar, when he was stripped of his. Azhar still has a few years left in him.

Srikanth: srikkanth@rocketmail.com: I think Azhar should be selected for the upcoming tours. I think Azhar is the only most experienced player today in Indian team. He is known for rescue whenever india is in trouble. When you watch him play in T.V., it is obvious that he is fit enough with his reflexes. So , I say he should be in team.

Anil: abomma01@netscape.net: Let us give Azhar the chance to step down gracefully.

vasu: vaasu@netscape.net: will u complete 10,000 runs in onedayers before u retire. will u convince the selectors atleast they keep u till that land mark is made?

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