NEW DELHI: Mahesh Bhupathi is out of the running for the Khel Ratna this year on account of a mess up by the All India Tennis Association (AITA). While Bhupathi’s name came up in earlier selection committee meetings and informal discussions between the members, it turns out that his paperwork was never finalised by the AITA on account of an apparent lack of understanding about the rules governing the awards.
“We had nominated Mahesh a couple of years ago. I don’t really know the precise procedure but our understanding is that once a player has been nominated, we don’t have to keep sending his name again and again,” was the shocking admission by AITA secretary Anil Khanna. “Mahesh’s achievements are well known and do not have to be repeatedly stressed upon. His nomination is already there with the government in case it wants to consider it.”
When contacted, Mahesh was clueless about the whole deal. “I had learnt that I was being considered but there was never any official communication from AITA. I really do not know the procedure for getting the award,” he said. And as it turns out, neither does the AITA. For the record, Mahesh had won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in 2005 — the year under consideration for the award — and is the only Indian player to have touched the heights of claiming as many as 10 Grand Slam titles. His case for India’s supreme sporting award was indeed very strong and AITA’s oversight may prove to be his undoing.
