From a potential reality, India’s World Cup dream turned illusory and blew into smithereens. The ‘Men in Blue’, who were heroes of a frenzied cricket nation, suddenly turned villains with one bad game against New Zealand in the big semi-final. (Editorial, “The climax”, July 13). As is widely perceived, the middle order proved to be the major reason for India’s exit from the quadrennial tournament. The selectors made a huge blunder by not picking technically equipped players like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have performed well in England, to strengthen the middle order. Also, it is baffling that despite being groomed for the last couple of years for the crucial No. 4 spot, Ambati Rayudu was not selected.

These apart, when India wins a tournament, selectors get financial rewards, but when the team loses, it is only the players who bear the brunt. While the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has got into most cricketing matters, surprisingly it has avoided assessing the performance of selectors.

R. Sivakumar,

Chennai