KING’S VISIT

BHUTAN King Mr. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk’s visit to India has come at a very critical time when the Himalayan nation is being perceived to be working under the influence of China on strategic security issues. The King has met Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi with an aim to expand the “time-tested relations” between India and Bhutan. It is a welcome development for New Delhi which had seen some rising concerns after the comments of Bhutanese Prime Minister Mr. Lotay Tshering over the Bhutan-China boundary issue. Mr. Tshering had declared that China is an equal stakeholder in the Doka La boundary issue, which has not gone down well with New Delhi. Mr. Tshering’s comments had led to a thinking that Bhutan had succumbed to the pressure applied by Beijing and was ready to concede territory to China. It would be a major development in the Himalayan politics and a big blow to India’s security in the North-Eastern trijunction. However, the concerns are being allayed by the visit by the King which seems to be a face-saving effort given the heavy dependence of Bhutan on Indian help in almost every sector. The all-weather friendship between India and Bhutan must endure this.

BIG FLAW

THE initial games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has sounded alarm bells for quite a few batsmen who are supposed to be the future of Indian cricket. Many of them have been found wanting in handling of pace and bounce from quality fast bowlers. The case in point is the failure of Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraj Khan in tackling the steep bounce and genuine pace in the first few games. Shaw was clearly struggling to cope with the ball outside the off-stump, which is a big flaw considering that the batsman regularly opens innings. Khan, too, had problems dealing with the bounce but settled a bit in the last game to score a handy thirty. The flaw outside off-stump again brings back Shaw to the similar territory where he struggled for a very long time. That he overcame the problem to make a comeback to the national side proved that the Mumbai player had the mettle to conquer the old demons. However, there certainly seems a lapse in concentration for Shaw if the first two games in the IPL are any indication. It does not bode well for the opener as the national team management would be watching with a keen eye a player to fill the opener’s slot in the next overseas tour.