• Sania Mirza’a decision to not play in Bangalore is unsurprising, given the tremendous pressure she had undergone at the hands of fundamentalists and media in recent times. The controversies regarding her attire on the court, consequent issuance of a fatwa, and then mosque entry for shooting an advertisement were wholly avoidable. These self-styled moral police should learn from this decision that they are harming a brilliant woman player of India probably irredeemably. There should be some legal curbs on such moral police.

— A. Paramesham

Hyderabad

Graceful Gilly

• It requires tremendous courage and conviction for any cricketer to hang up his boots, when he is just four Test matches away from completing a hundred appearances.

Gilchrist’s own revelation that the dropping of V.V.S. Laxman’s catch in India’s first innings prompted him to make up his mind to say good bye is note-worthy. How many such lion-hearted cricketers would one find in the present era and the years to come?

One must not forget the cold reception given to Gilly by teammates in general and the captain in particular, after he broke Mark Boucher’s record tally of 413 catches, by catching Anil Kumble off Stuart Clark, when India’s first innings was folded at 526. Barring the bowler, none of the Aussie players celebrated his feat and this particular incident was even lambasted by the fellow Aussie, Dean Jones, in one of his syndicated columns.

Perhaps, his dwindling batting form in Test matches in recent times contributed to his retirement decision, though his reflexes till the last day of the Adelaide game were quite fine.

... contd.