Divya Ramesh questions about her exclusion

Former junior national champion Divya Ramesh, today questioned the rationale behind the Badminton Association of India behind denying her a place in the Indian team for the World Championships in Spain, and said "injustice" had been done to her by excluding her name.

Ramesh, in a statement here, questioned BAI's selction procedure. "How can the team be announced even before the coaching and selection camp has commenced"?

She was apparently responding to BAI General Secretary, S S Mani's statement here on Wednesday defending the selection and exclusion of her name for the championships beginning on May 28.

"When all other teams are full, why the women's singles team is incomplete, even when promising players are available?" she asked. "As one of the top three Indian women badminton players as per National Championships, don't I deserve to be in the Indian team, when the fourth position player is included"?

Referring to Mani's statement that ranking has its own signficance but that alone is not the criteria for selection, Divya wanted to know, "can BAI shift its stand from "ranking is the only criterion to ranking isn't the only criterion" alternatively to suit its convenience"?

The 20-year-old shuttler claimed BAI has tried in vain to justify its selection of the team and her non-inclusion, adding, she had been denied entry without any ground.

Her writ petition praying for inclusion of her name for the Championships, comes up for admission before the Karnataka High Court on May 28.