Well begun is half the job done. But the adage doesn’t always fit into the Indian shooting squad’s scheme of things.

Days away from heading into the season’s opening big event — the World Cup in Beijing that starts April 10 — the team was only finalised at the last moment.

The World Cup will be held at the same shooting ranges that will be used for the Olympics in August and the event is a good opportunity for the shooters to have a first-hand look at the venue.

Squarely blaming the sports ministry for dithering on finalising the squad for an important meet like the World Cup, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Baljeet Singh Sethi said: “The government should have avoided such issues at this juncture when the team is preparing for a big competition.

“This game of musical chairs spoils the shooters’ tempo,” he added, saying that names of two more shooters were only cleared on Thursday.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) executive director (Team Wings) PC Kashyap refused to comment on the issue, saying he had done his job well during the departmental committee meeting and wasn’t aware of any further developments.

“If names are being added or deleted, I am not aware of it,” he added.

The NRAI is also participating in the Asian Shooting Championships in Nanjing, China, from April 6 to 8, as part of the build-up for the Olympics. The squad, that includes the Olympics qualifiers, left for China on Thursday morning.

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