Sir — The Australian Koala Foundation recently said that koala bears may be functionally extinct, which means that their numbers have declined to such an extent that they can no longer play the same role they did in the ecosystem. This in turn, can have other ramifications on the environment. While the AKF’s claim has been refuted, there is no doubt that koalas are in trouble, given the alarming pace at which the eucalyptus forests they inhabit are being cleared for building cities and farms. Human greed and cruelty know no bounds; unless significant steps are taken to protect koala bears, the AKF’s claim will become a reality soon.

Shalini Roy,
Calcutta

Virat Kohli during the Captain's Press Conference, in London, on May 23, 2019. The Cricket World Cup starts on Thursday May 30. (AP)

Time to play

Sir — It was interesting to read the excerpts from the interview with the legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, published in The Telegraph (“We have the firepower to deliver the punch: Sachin”, May 23). There is no doubt that the team that shall be playing in the World Cup in England and Wales has the kind of fire in the belly required to do well. However, it would be foolish of the skipper, Virat Kohli, and his men to become overconfident about their chances, as they will certainly feel the pressure from their competitors.

There is not a single team participating in this World Cup that is weak. Even the so-called minnows, Afghanistan, can beat any of the other teams on a good day, given that they have arguably the world’s best spin bowlers. The West Indies, too, are a force to be reckoned with, as Chris Gayle, who can create a tornado with his batting, has been recalled to the team.

It is indeed a blessing for Kohli that the former captain, M.S. Dhoni, who is known for his calm disposition under all kinds of pressure, is in the squad. His experience behind the wicket as well as in other ways is worth its weight in gold. Since the pitches in England are expected to favour the batsmen, one can only hope that our bowlers manage to find their groove quickly, so that our batsmen find it easier to win matches for us.

Vinay Mahadevan,
Chennai

Sir — I agree with Sachin Tendulkar when he says that Team India has the firepower required to make its presence felt at the World Cup. Virat Kohli is the first captain since Sourav Ganguly who exudes aggressive confidence and brings out the ‘killer instinct’ that Indian players were ridiculed for years for not possessing. Having said that, Kohli must take care not to get ahead of himself. He might have a good team, but his opponents are formidable as well. The England team is one of the favourites to win the trophy; the Indian squad shall be facing some stiff battles. The batsmen fell like ninepins on Saturday in India’s warm up match against New Zealand ahead of the start of the tournament. If that is how they continue to perform on the English and Welsh pitches during the World Cup, victory will be a distant dream for us.

What Kohli must do is rely heavily on the expertise of M.S. Dhoni, who has already led India to two World Cup victories — both in the one-day international and the Twenty20 formats. There is no shame in utilizing your resources when you have them. Dhoni is a valuable resource and can help Kohli save matches both with the bat and on-field strategies. Even though Kohli is the skipper and his team will be looking primarily to him for leadership, he must work together with Dhoni in order to get the best out of his men and to rattle the opposition.

Abhimanyu Roy,
Calcutta

Sir — The World Cup is about to begin and expectations from Team India are sky-high. Virat Kohli has a strong team, a fact that Sachin Tendulkar recognizes. However, one hopes that the captain is able to keep a cool head on the field, especially against teams such as England, who will be on the lookout for his weaknesses.

Kaustav Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Not fair

Sir — According to the new rules of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, city-wide parking fees for motorcycles and cars are Rs 10 and Rs 20 per hour respectively, from 7 am to 10 pm. Of late, however, parking attendants have been demanding higher fees for both bikes and cars for each hour. The figures that they quote are often double of the CMC’s rates. The erring attendants sometimes even brandish fake circulars that show that the parking rates are higher than they actually are.

On various occasions, the attendants also misbehave with the motorists. They indulge in extortion. It is high time that the civic body looked into this on a war footing and stopped these irregular practices. After all, it is not only the motorists who are being cheated. The CMC, too, may not be getting its rightful share of the revenue. Blacklisting the licensee-agencies and filing first information reports against the attendants should be the standard operating practice in such cases. Once an agency has been blacklisted, it should not be allowed to participate in the tender process again in the future. Along with these steps, the CMC should ensure that updated fee charts are displayed at parking spaces across the city for the convenience of the motorists.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta