The Badminton Association of India has chosen to distance itself from the controversy that has erupted over India’s women’s singles squad for the junior world championships in Indonesia next month, saying it does not interfere with the decisions of the selection committee.
The controversy started when the family of India’s second highest-ranked junior in women’s singles, Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy, wrote a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others, alleging “gross injustice and cruelty” towards her.
Reddy, 15, was one of seven singles players who were picked in the squad for the junior world championships, when only four can be fielded. This meant that three of the seven have to be fielded in doubles: Reddy and Malvika Bansod for women’s doubles and Ira Sharma for mixed.
The letter also alleged that the selection committee has shown “favouritism to [India’s chief national coach] Pullela Gopichand’s daughter Gayatri Gopichand by selecting her [for singles] when she has a zero rank in the Under-19 category” according to the BAI rankings. Reddy used to train at the Gopichand academy till 18 months ago and has even partnered Gayatri in doubles before her family moved her base to Thailand.
BAI general secretary Anup Narang said the association does not interfere with the selection committee’s decisions. “The matter is between the girl’s family and a former international player,” said Narang, who is also the convenor of India’s junior selection committee.
P Gopichand is not part of the junior selection committee, but was present for one of its two meetings before the squad was finalised, The Field has learnt. However, he wasn’t officially part of the meeting.
“The BAI does not question the selection committee’s decisions,” said Narang, adding that a number of factors are taken into account while picking a squad.
One of the reasons Gayatri Gopichand, 14, could have been picked in the squad, despite not having a ranking in the Under-19 category, is that she has beaten India’s top-ranked junior women’s singles player, Aakarshi Kashyap, two times this year in All-India Junior Ranking Tournaments in Chennai and Bengaluru. Kashyap, along with Gopichand, is one of the seven singles players in the squad.
Narang also said that the players have just been included as part of a squad and it is up to the coaches to decide who will play in what category in the tournament. The BAI will have to finalise the list of players and the categories they are playing in by September 25, which is the last day to submit entries for the junior world championships.
However, Reddy and Sharma have already pulled out of the tournament, leaving only Bansod among the singles players picked to play doubles. Malvika Bansod’s father Prabodh Bansod said that he was surprised with the selection committee’s decision since his daughter “hasn’t played doubles in the last two-and-a-half to three years”.
However, he added that his family was very pleased that Malvika has been picked to play for India and echoed Narang’s comments about shuffling within the squad. “I have been told that the players are just put into these categories but that can change depending on what the coaches see in the national camp, which is underway in Bengaluru right now,” he said. “I hope that Malvika is eventually picked to play singles after the camp.”
Bansod chose not to comment on the allegations of favouritism towards Gopichand’s daughter, saying he hasn’t experienced or seen anything along those lines.
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