AITA may ban Bhupathi, Bopanna: Selector
DNMUM247363 | 6/16/2012 | Author : Chander Shekhar Luthra | WC :255
AITA proposes, Mahesh Bhupathi disposes! That, in a nutshell, is the situation.
The selection committee went ahead and announced this pairing under the supervision and guidance of secretary Anil Khanna in Bangalore on Friday.
Soon after the announcement, Bhupathi broke his silence and said, "Have already told the AITA that I will not be available to play the Olympics if I am paired with Leander. I haven't even spoken to Leander since November."
Though the panel's decision seemed to be unanimous, one of them told DNA that his plea of sending two doubles teams to the Olympics was not considered "by the ones handpicked by Khanna."
The selector added the panel telephoned both Bhupathi and Bopanna durin
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g the course of the meeting. "Both Bhupathi and Bopanna made it very clear they would be only available as a pair. None was ready to partner Leander," the selector said.
Even the sports ministry had told the AITA officials to pick two teams (this paper has reported the same), but the selectors didn't bother.
So what next after Bhupathi's snub? "They may be banned for two years. And they were warned earlier," the selector said. AITA has, however, backed the selectors' decision, saying "they focused on quality, not quantity and would like to send a winning combo to London".
Bhupathi attacked the AITA for portraying him as a villain. "Their decision shows just how much my opinion is valued. I have had two very disappointing Olympic outings, don't want another one," Bhupathi said.
The battle has just begun.
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