AS expected, it will be former All England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand who will spearhead the 14-member Indian squad in the Manchester Commonwealth Games, to be held between July 25 to August 4.

The men’s team comprises Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Nikhil Kanetkar, Sachin Ratti, V Diju, Sanave Thomas and Markose Bristow while women’s team includes Aparna Popat, BR Meenakshi, T Murgurde, Deepti CH, Jwala Ghate, Shruti Kurian and Neelima Chowdary.

The team was announced at the end of the day’s session during the first round of coaching camp at Hyderabad today. Talking to The Indian Express, Dinesh Khanna, the selection committee member and government nominee, said: ‘‘We had picked 10 members each for the men’s and women’s camp of which three each were left out.’’ Along with chief national coach Arif, Leroy D’Sa of the Railways will also accompany the team as coach.

The other selection committee members included chief coach SM Arif and Badminton Association of India secretary LC Gupta. The first round of camp ends on June 8 and it will be followed by another camp, this time probably at Bangalore in July.

According to Khanna, Diju and Thomas will pair in the men’s doubles while Jwala Ghate and Shruti Kurian will play the women’s doubles. Markose Bristow will pair with Neelima Chowdary or Shruti Kurian in the mixed doubles, for the team championship, Khanna added.

Khanna also said that India will also take part in the Malaysianin which Arvind Bhatt and Aparna Popat along with Commonwealth men’s team will take part. Jason Xavier and Jaseel Ismail who were dropped for the Games would participate in the Malaysian

According to Khanna, the selectors will once again sit to pick new faces for the Thailand which will be held prior to the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian contingent would be playing five matches under the new format of combined team championship. Unlike in the previous games of separate team championship for men and women, the present edition would feature two singles, two doubles, one each of men and women and a mixed doubles. As for the controversy of Aparna Popat not attending the camp, the selectors brushed aside her absence at the camp saying that Aparna feeling fit and raring to go.