Leander Paes (7th) is India's highest ranked player but Bhupathi (14) and Bopanna's (12) combined ranking of 26 can easily take them to the draw and they can even be seeded as a pair.
If AITA listens to what Bhupathi and Bopanna have expressed through their e-mails, it will leave Paes without a partner or play with somebody from the next generation players such as Somdev Devvraman, who has not played tennis for more than six months due to a shoulder injury.
One of the selection committee members questioned Bhuapthi and Bopanna's stand.
"How can they dictate what the team should be. What about the Sports Ministry's fund, given to the players for training. They have also been beneficiary of that. Representatives of the Ministry, IOA are also part of the selection committee. So, the committee will decide what the combination should be and not the players," the member told PTI.
"It is their last Olympics and going into it with all this confrontation, is not a healthy sign at all," the member added. MORE