Also, how can we go ahead and criticise somebody of the stature of Sourav Ganguly, the best captain India has ever produced?

And Rahul Dravid? He is rated as the best batsman in any condition against any attack, on any wicket.

How can we deny them their genius? How can we talk so irresponsibly?

Do we really have to sacrifice these greats just because they are in their early thirties? If only a little attention was given to their fitness, by preserving their energy and not playing them in six-penny tournaments like the one in Malaysia or Timbuktu. Then you would have got a set of fit, nimble-footed, talented stars even now.

Consider the average age of the team. Except maybe Bangladesh or the West Indies, India are much better off.

Are the likes of Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Brian Lara, Stephen Fleming and Sanath Jayasuriya just out of their cots?

You naturally conclude — and you don’t need any great power of analysis to arrive at that — that it has been just too much cricket for our players. Of course, the players too have to be blamed to an extent for taking part in all series. They looked so worn out, when they met the West Indies this time.

The Board should have played a bigger role here, and not treated the players like robots. A little bit of rest could have done them a world of good, the team too, physically and mentally. And this, in turn, would have allowed them to take part in domestic meets which would have yielded more talent for the future.

... contd.