Signs of sorrow, instead of happiness, were writ large on the faces of Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, as the most decorated women shuttlers of Odisha packed their bags to leave for Ningbo, China to compete in the Badminton Asia Championships, set to take place from 9 to 14 April 2024.

Reason? They were denied an opportunity to represent India in the BWF Uber Cup, the Women’s World Team Championships, scheduled to be played, along with the Thomas Cup (Men’s World Team Championships), in Chengdu, China from 27 April to 5 May 2024.

With the country’s top two doubles pair, featuring Tanisha Crasto, Ashwini Ponnappa,Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand pulling out in order to focus on the 2024 Paris Olympics, the selection of Panda siblings should have been a foregone conclusion.

Rutaparna and Swetaparna are currently ranked World No 49, the third highest-ranked Indian pair after Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa (World Rank 20) and Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand (World Rank 26).

But much to the disbelief of the Odisha pair, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has selected lower-ranked pairs of Priya Devi Konjengbam-Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker for the Uber Cup.

According to BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra, the selection committee, comprising chief National coach Pulella Gopichand, former India veterans U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly and Mallika Baruah Sarma, gave preference to youngsters for Uber Cup.

BAI also justified the selection of Priya-Shruti and Simran-Ritika combinations, saying that they were the reigning senior national champions and runners-up respectively.

But according to Ramachandra Panda, the father and coach of Rutaparna and Swetaparna, while selecting players for the World championship, world rankings should have been the parameter. “At the age of 18, Swetaparna is also a youngster and she has the reputation of winning a number of international medals,” he pointed out.

Another baffling point about the selection is that BAI reduced the size of the Uber Cup squad from 10 to eight. “If five shuttlers pulled out to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Games, their places should have been filled up by another five. In that case, the Odisha duo could have been included in the squad,’’ contended Ramachandra.

He, however, felt that there is still time to reconstitute the India Uber Cup squad and give the Odisha shuttlers an opportunity they highly deserve. “April 13 is the deadline for submission of entries. I humbly request the BAI to give justice to Rutaparna and Swetaparna,’’ said Ramachandra.

Meanwhile, keeping agony confined to their hearts, the Panda sisters said they were looking forward to do well in the qualifying stage of the Asia Championships and qualify for the main draw. “We are heart-broken for not being in the Uber Cup squad. But we have to carry on with our journey. Asian Championship will be a big opportunity for us and we are determined to do well in Ningbo,’’ said Rutaparna, the elder sister.

According to the draw, Panda sisters are set to play their two Group-A qualifying matches against Bangladesh pair of Urmi Akter and Nashima Khatun, and Macau combination of Ng Weng Chi and Pui Chi Wa. The group winners will qualify for the main draw. Being the No 1 seed for the qualifying competition, the Odisha duo can get a direct entry to the main draw if any pair pulls out from the main draw.