Rains wreak havoc: Tamil Nadu

Unprecedented rains continue to flood Tamil Nadu and cost lives. Cuddalore seems to be the worst hit, with many more districts suffering heavily from the deluge.

Roads have been eroded and rail tracks have been mangled. Landslides have added to the damage to train traffic, with most train services to Southern Tamil Nadu suspended. Lakes threaten to give way to mounting pressures. Villages are submerged; a couple of buses are reported to have been washed away. Amidst heavy damage to property, more rains are forecast for at least two more days to come.

Water hasn’t been the source of misery on such a large scale in India in the recent past. No amount of planning could possibly have prepared the country for this fury of nature.

Drop Sachin!

Sachin has to be dropped. Yes, that’s right. He needs to be told in plain terms that he is being dropped because he doesn’t perform these days.

I am among the ardent fans of the Master and I joined the country in welcoming him back to the side, after a six-month holiday. He announced his return in style. And that’s all that I could remember of his batting in this series and the one past. For those who think a series or two may not be good enough to judge a player, that argument doesn’t hold good for Sachin. He is not among those who would take their time to find their nick. He is the most gifted of the lot in the present age and it is criminal on his part not to apply his skills. And for someone who has become larger than life, the team should be able to bank on him as a rock. Sachin has failed to deliver the goods.

Blame it on his stardom and the resultant high expectations on him, if you please – but that’s the way it is. Because even stars are human beings, and it may sometimes take a rap or even a slap to shake things up for them. Drop him now; or, if you feel he would bounce back at Mumbai, wait for one more encounter and then, drop him.