The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has announced the six-player Indian tennis team that will compete against Pakistan in the Davis Cup 2024 World Group I play-off on February 3-4 in Islamabad. The highly-anticipated matches are scheduled to take place on the grass courts of the Pakistan Sports Complex.
This will mark the first time the Indian Davis Cup team has traveled to Pakistan since 1964. In their last meeting at a neutral venue in 2019, India emerged victorious with a 4-0 win over Pakistan.
Regrettably, the team will be without the experience of veteran player Rohan Bopanna for the Islamabad tie, as the 43-year-old recently made his final Davis Cup appearance against Morocco in September, in which India won convincingly by a 4-1 margin. Additionally, India’s top men’s singles player in the ATP rankings, Sumit Nagal, will also be absent from the team traveling to Pakistan.
With Bopanna and Nagal on the sidelines, the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the Asian Games 2023 silver medal-winning doubles pair, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni, to lead India’s campaign. The team also includes Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, and Digvijay Pratap Singh as a reserve player, with former player Rohit Rajpal continuing as the non-playing captain and Zeeshan Ali as the coach.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s tennis team, who secured their place in the World Group I play-off with a 5-0 victory over Indonesia, will likely be led by two-time US Open doubles finalist Aisam Ul Haq Qureshi.
The upcoming World Group I play-offs will feature a total of 24 national teams, with the 12 winners advancing to World Group I, while the losers will drop to World Group II. Each Davis Cup tie consists of five matches – four singles and one doubles, and the team that secures at least three of these matches will emerge victorious.
India’s tennis team has had commendable performances in the Davis Cup in the past, with standout accomplishments in 1966, 1974, and 1987, where they finished as the runners-up.
The announced Indian Davis Cup team for the Pakistan tie includes Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan, N Sriram Balaji, Saketh Myneni, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, and Digvijay Pratap Singh as the reserve player. Rohit Rajpal will continue as the non-playing captain, with Zeeshan Ali taking on the role of coach.