It seems like BAI is happy to put me out of CWG and Asiad: Saina Nehwal
New Delhi, Apr 14: Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Saina Nehwal on Thursday questioned the timing of selection trials and slammed the Badminton Association of India for "putting" her out the two mega sporting events later this year.
The governing body had called for selection trials on April 2 to pick the Indian team for big-ticket events including the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Asian Games in Hangzhou and Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in Bangkok from May 8 to 15.
Saina, a former world no 1, said she had informed BAI about her decision to skip the trials which begins at the IG stadium on Friday but it did not mean that she was not eager to participate at the major events including the Commonwealth Games and Asiad.
"Surprised to see all the articles stating that I don't want to defend my CWG title and my Asiad medal. I'm just not participating in the trials because I just got back from 3 weeks of Europe events and according to the schedule there's Asian Championships," Saina tweeted.
"In 2 weeks time, as a senior player to participate in back to back events nonstop is impossible and it's risking injuries, such short notice is not possible. I've conveyed this to BAI but there has been no response from them. It seems like they're happy to put me out of CWG n Asiad."
BAI has exempted players inside the top 15 in the BWF rankings from the trials but said shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings, released on March 29, will have to participate in the trials to be selected for the team.
Saina, 32, however, questioned the logic of having trials at this juncture.
"I wish we had better understanding about how to manage a schedule and not announce events with 10 days notice. I'm world no.23 currently and I almost beat the world no.1 Akane in All England. One loss at India open and BAI tries to pull me down. Shocking."
Saina, a London Olympics bronze medallist, had participated at the German Open (March 8-13), All England Championships (March 16-20) and Swiss Open (March 22-27) before pulling out of the Korean Open (April 5-10).
Saina has been battling injuries and poor form for the past couple of years, which saw see her ranking slip to 23rd but she did show signs of returning to form when she played a three-game match against Akane Yamaguchi at this year's All England Championships.
Among the current crop of women's singles players, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha and Anupama Upadhyaya have been in good form but none of them have beaten top international stars in the world stage.
Saina had returned to the circuit after recovering from a groin and knee injury this year but she didn't have the desired results as her India Open campaign ended in the second round.
After a gap of few weeks, she played three events last month -- German Open, All England and Swiss Open -- where she failed to cross the second round.
Surprised to see all the articles stating that I don’t want to defend my CWG title and my Asiad medal. I’m just not participating in the trials because I just got back from 3 weeks of Europe events andaccording tothe schedule there’sAsian Championships @BAI_Media @ianuragthakur
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 14, 2022
In 2 weeks time , As a senior player to participate in back to back events nonstop is impossible and it’s risking injuries , such short notice is not possible . I’ve conveyed this to BAI but there has been no response from them .It seems like they’re happy to put me out of CWG n
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 14, 2022
Asiad. I wish we had better understanding about how to manage a schedule and not announce events with 10 days notice.I’m world no.23 currently and I almost beat the world no.1 Akane in All England . One loss at India open and BAI tries to pull me down. Shocking @Media_SAI
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) April 14, 2022
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Man shoots woman dead, hangs self in UP’s Baghpat over unrequited love
Baghpat (UP) (PTI): A 20-year-old woman was shot dead by a man who later committed suicide in an apparent case of unrequited love in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat on Thursday, police said.
The incident took place in Mahavatpur Bawli village in the Badaut area, where the accused, Satnam, 22, allegedly shot the woman before hanging himself from a tree, they said.
Superintendent of Police, Suraj Kumar Rai, said preliminary findings suggest the incident was linked to unrequited love, adding that all aspects of the case are being probed.
According to police, the deceased woman, Guddan, daughter of Lakhmi Saini, worked as a tailor from her home.
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Satnam, a resident of the same village, had allegedly been in one-sided love with her for a long time and was pressuring her to marry him.
Police said that around 10.30 am, Guddan stepped out of her house to buy some items when Satnam, who was already waiting in a back lane, stopped her.
An argument ensued, following which he allegedly shot her in the head with a country-made pistol.
The woman collapsed on the spot with serious injuries.
The accused then went back to his house and committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree, police said.
Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot and took the injured woman to a community health centre, where doctors declared her dead.
A forensic team recovered the weapon used in the crime from the scene, they added.
Police have sent both bodies for post-mortem and initiated an investigation, they said.
