'Chief coach responsible for my current predicament'

Abhinn Shyam Gupta's exclusion from the Indian team for the World badminton championships has intensified the debate on the revamping of the selection process in the Badminton Association of India.

How do you react to your non-inclusion in the World Championships squad?
As I see it, I was wrongly kept out from the squad. Despite being the highest-ranked Indian and the first to qualify for these championships, I was deliberately prevented from participating in these championships. Certain people in the BAI are responsible for my current predicament.

HT Image

Can you elaborate on these 'certain people'?
I think more than anyone else it is the chief coach (Vimal Kumar) who has played a major role. Right from the time I made the cut he was saying that younger players be given the chance to play in the World Championships, and that the BAI had decided to send a smaller team. Even the role played by LC Gupta, (secretary, BAI) has been quite disappointing. He completely sided with the chief coach on my issue when he could have taken a stand and asserted himself. As it is...

You seem to be holding something back?
Even after the BAI refused to send me, my employers IOC were ready to pay for all my expenses. All they needed was a letter from the BAI recommending me for the US tourney. Far from giving it, they (the BAI) went to the extent of secretly withdrawing my entry. Can you beat it? As if that was not enough, the PSPB secretary VK Bhawa was told by certain people in the BAI that the Kenyan Open, which I won in May, was like a club level tournament. There cannot be a bigger lie than this, as that tournament was an A Grade one. Further, it was determined by the IBF as the final cut-off tournament for the World Championships. In fact, my win in Kenya was the sole reason that enabled me to qualify for the World Championships.

Vimal Kumar has gone on record saying that the BAI opted for Arvind Bhatt as he was younger and his attacking style was more suited than yours. Any comment on this?
Firstly, there is only a three-year gap between Arvind and myself. Secondly, my performances at international level have been much better. I will leave the rest for the public to decide.

You have accused the BAI of being biased against you. Can you substantiate this charge?
This is not the first time that I have been discriminated against. For instance, I was deliberately kept out of the Sudirman Cup (World team championships) in Beijing in May. There again, Arvind Bhatt was preferred to me. This despite the fact that my ranking was higher than his, and I had performed better in the Senior Nationals in Jamshedpur. I was runner-up while he was the quarterfinalist. Can you please tell me on what basis I was dropped for these championships? I kept quiet then, thinking maybe things would improve. But they have gone from bad to worse.

Do you think the BAI has gone against the interest of any other player apart from you?
The one such instance which comes to mind readily is the exclusion of Sachin Ratti for the SAI Games in Islamabad in 2004. He had won a major ranking tournament in Surat, beating Chetan Anand, and should have been the automatic choice. But the BAI sent two uncapped players, Hemant Duggal and Utsav Mishra. The exclusion from the SAF Games had a shattering effect on Sachin's career and he was never the same player again.

What steps do you think should be taken in order to ensure that the selection process is more transparent?
I am no one to recommend any steps to rectify the selection process. All I will say is that the coach of an academy should not be on the selection committee. The very nature of that equation will raise doubts about the fairness of the selection process. Also the process has to be more transparent. One has to bear in mind that one wrong decision can end a player's career.

You have been selected for the ABC Championships to be held in Hyderabad. How do you react to this?
My selection for the ABC does not come as a big relief. It is no consolation for being omitted from the World Championships. Even if a player wins a round there, he gets about 1,500 points which immensely boosts his career. Despite getting the nod for the ABC, my disappointment continues.

What has been the best win of your career so far?
Undoubtedly it was the one over Malaysian Roslin Hashim in the prequarterfinals of the German Open in 2004. Roslin was ranked 8th in the world at that time. He is one of the best defensive players in the world and I won the gruelling encounter, which lasted for about one and a half hours. I was surprised to see even Misbun Sidek (Roslin's coach) applauding me after that match. He even came up and asked me to meet him in his room.

What did he tell you?
He asked me to train under him. He was very impressed by my defensive game. He felt that I possessed one of the best returns and if properly nurtured, I could break into the world top twenty in six months. I should have joined him then and there. But a slight hesitancy saw me fritter away that chance. To this day, I regret that decision.