A call for transparency on Prashanti Singh's exclusion

Meet Prashanti Singh. She has captained India, is among the top four A ranked Women’s basketball players in the country, has helped India win Gold in the Asian Beach Games last year, and has numerous other accomplishments to her name. Way too numerous. Seriously, they are too many to mention here. Just give her Wikipedia page a quick glance.

And Prashanti has not been selected to represent India at the William Jones Cup.

Recently, Pratima Singh was left out of the squad of the Indian Women’s team for the William Jones Cup. Being the second leading scorer at the 2011 Nationals, this comes as a surprise.

Yeah you can make an argument that scoring is not all that counts, check out the top scorers of this NBA season and then reconsider.

I had half written an article titled ‘A call for transparency’. Back when Pratima Singh was not invited to the training camp for the William Jones Cup. I never finished it.

All I knew was that:

- She was the 2nd top scorer at the Nationals last year.- She had recently bounced back from a knee injury.

Neither of the above two can be held against her. Blake Griffin had bounced back from a knee injury and his trainers marveled at how he came back stronger than before after the injury.

However strong my personal opinion was on Pratima’s exclusion being unfair, I refrained from writing about it as I wasn’t in full possession of all the facts. It was all assumptions on my part. Much as I hate to be open minded about this, there was a small possibility that the selectors may have, just may have had a valid reason to leave her out. I felt that they deserve the benefit of doubt. Even thought leaving out the second leading scorer in the Nationals seemed like insanity.

Right now, there isn’t much room for doubt.

You can only give the benefit of doubt to a silent person for so long before assuming the worst. It is the responsibility of the accused to clear the air and give their side of the story. The selectors have not released a press release on the exclusion of someone who has captained India, was ranked among the top four women’s basketball players in the country (according to them), won Gold in the Asian Beach Games last year, and did this in the William Jones Cup last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDgBYL0cBS4

That was a moment which filled me with pride for our team. If the cricket team had done something that spectacular, it would have been lauded and put on the front page. And the stars of that game Prashanti, Anitha, and Geethu would have been permanent fixtures on the Indian squad until age caught up to them.

Here’s what Prashanti had to say on her exclusion.

“They have intentionally dropped me out of the team on fitness basis which is ridiculous as I am totally fit. Pradeep who is a Physio with SAI has given me a clean chit and whatever rehab I attended and whatever rest I had taken was a part of training. I have all my MRI scans to prove that I am physically fit to participate in an International tournament. I had protested in the beginning for my sister Pratima who was left out of the camp in Bengaluru for William Jones Cup even after she was one of the highest scorer in the Senior Nationals. Later on they did call her in the camp as it was written in the media about it. Now they are trying to get back at me just for the sake of revenge. I have been the captain of the team in the Asian Games, Asian Indoor Games and other important tournaments last year. Last year in the very same William Jones Cup, I played the main role in the victory of our team against Korea which is one of the strongest team and we created history then. I am trying to contact my coaches and official but everyone is dodging my calls and not giving me any satisfactory explianation about my exclucsion. I have given my whole life for the game and such kind of behaviour is intolerable. I need them to give me reason for the humiliation they have caused to me.”

This article you are reading is not saying “Humari maange poori karo! Chup chaap unhe team me daalo” (Fulfill our demands! Put her in the team!) All I’m asking for is a call for transparency.

If she hasn’t met with the required fitness criteria for the team, then release a statement stating it which would make it clear that there’s a valid reason for her dismissal.

She has said her side of the story, that she got a clean chit from SAI and she feels that she isn’t being given a satisfactory explanation for her exclusion. Give her that and make it public. That’s all I’m asking for.

Update: BFI CEO Roopam Sharma has defended the team selection, saying: “Selection of any player is purely based on his or her performance during the selection trails and coaching camps. Prashanti’s performance was not up to the mark during the camp. All the four selectors appointed by the BFI are accomplished names. The decision taken by them is unbiased.”

“Three out of these four gentlemen were the ones who picked the team for the Asian Beach Games held last month. Our team went to win the gold beating teams like China. So their credentials cannot be questioned,” Sharma added.

National coach KK Chansoria, too, backed the selection committee’s decision. “It’s our policy to introduce more young players. The reports were submitted to the selectors by the two coaches who were in charge of the camp. I was informed by the coaches that she took rest from June 11 to 22 which might have hampered her performance on the trial day as even a single day without practice affects your form. The selectors felt her performance was not up to mark, therefore they decided to drop her,” he said.

When contacted, SAI Bangalore’s chief medical officer Dr Sarla said, “The reports by the physios stated that Prashanti was given three days’ rest as she had some swelling in the knees. However, she continued with her rehab exercises under the physio during those three days.”

Prashanti also alleges that she hasn’t been given the reason for her exclusion and that her efforts to contact the officials have been in vain. “I am trying to contact my coaches and officials but everyone is dodging my calls. I have given my whole life to the game. I want them to give me a reason for the humiliation they have caused to me,” stressed the player, who led India at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.