HYDERABAD, DECEMBER 3: National champion Pullela Gopichand, after clinching two consecutive titles on the European circuit, is the hot favourite in the Indian Oil Servo Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament which gets under way at the Lal Bahadur Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.The tournament has lost its sheen with Malaysia, Singapore and Nepal expressing their inability to participate. Winning the title here is important for Gopi as it will brighten his chances in gaining a slot in the Sydney Olympics.India should dominate the championship in all segments, as the other participating countries - Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives - lack quality players. The only shuttlers who can give the hosts a run for their money are the much-improved Sri Lankans, T Edirisinghe and MS Fernando.Jusha pull out:The Indian women's team received another jolt as top seed Manjusha Kanwar pulled out of the tournament. The withdrawals of Aparna Popat and Manjusha necessitated the inclusion of Olympian PVVLakshmi and Ch Deepthi in the team. Junior national champion BR Meenakshi is given the top seed.Meanwhile, Railways' shuttlers Amrish Shinde and Mayur Ghatnekar, who were in the Indian doubles team, would not able to take part.
