Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri to spearhead Indian contingent for Davis Cup tie against Pakistan

Sumit Nagal and Sasikumar Mukund aren’t taking part in the Davis Cup tie.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has announced a five-member team for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Pakistan scheduled to be held on February 3rd and 4th in Islamabad. India’s number one men’s singles player, Sumit Nagal, opted out from participating in tie alongside compatriot Sasikumar Mukund who is currently the next best in singles.

Ramkumar Ramanathan will be leading the Indian contingent in the men’s singles category with Yuki Bhambri in the doubles. The former had a poor patch since the start of the season however has bounced back to win two successive ITF trophies in India, boosting his confidence ahead of the upcoming season.

Digvijay Pratap Singh who made his debut in September against Morocco has been put in the reserves with Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha a new entry to the squad. Saketh Myneni will likely be partnering Yuki Bhambri in the men’s doubles tie as the pair has enjoyed success in the past year. Fondly called “YukiSaki” have won six Challenger titles together but broke their partnership in July this year.

Meanwhile, Sriram Balaji is making a comeback into the squad. He reached career-best ranking of 74 in men’s doubles earlier this year and has finished the season by winning a couple of Challenger tours.

After failing to make it to Pakistan in their previous tie a couple of years back, the Indian team will head to Islamabad to play on the grass courts. On the other hand, Pakistan will be bolstered by veteran Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. The winner of tie shall progress to Davis Cup World Group I while the loser will be downgraded to World Group II.

India’s squad

• Ramkumar Ramanathan
• N.Sriram Balaji
• Yuki Bhambri
• Saketh Myneni
• Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha
• Digvijay Pratap Singh (Reserve)
• Captain: Rohit Rajpal
• Coach: Zeeshan Ali

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