The war of words between two of the most iconic names in Indian badminton, Jwala Gutta and Pullela Gopichand, is indeed sad. This war has been one-sided since the doubles star has been taking swipes against the mild-mannered chief national coach. But things got out of hand after Jwala went hammer and tongs at Gopi after her victory at the recent Canadian Grand Prix. Normally quiet and reticent, Jwala’s women’s doubles partner Ashwini Ponnappa was also drawn into the battle, making some hard-hitting comments.

Age-old resentment
Even the Sports Authority of India (SAI) got into the act by absolving Gopi of all blame in the fiasco whose genesis goes back to the 2008 Olympic qualifications, when Jwala and her ex-husband Chetan Anand, a former national champion, felt that somehow the National coach was not forwarding their names to play abroad with a view to qualify for the Games.