New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- Amid this uproar, the cricket board made another inexplicable decision: to rename the Pataudi Trophy as the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. The move drew sharp criticism from Sharmila Tagore, widow of the legendary Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who asked, "Why was it done?" As expected, there were no answers.

The lack of objectivity is evident far beyond cricket. Appointments to key government posts increasingly reflect political or ideological loyalty rather than merit. Bureaucrats and officers who fail the ideological test are quietly sidelined to "loop line" postings until retirement. This quiet exclusion - akin to Sarfraz Khan being dropped from the playing eleven - is becoming systemic.

The privileged elite, meanwhile, ...