India’s Davis Cup team is gearing up for the upcoming World Group I tie against Sweden, with a mix of familiar and new faces set to compete. Leading the charge is top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal, who makes his return to the team after missing the historic tie against Pakistan due to prior commitments. The match is scheduled for September 14-15 in Stockholm.
However, the team will be without Yuki Bhambri, who has withdrawn from the contest. Bhambri’s absence, due to undisclosed reasons, creates a potential gap in the doubles lineup, particularly since his omission from the Paris Olympics team might be a contributing factor. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has maintained that Rohan Bopanna, as a top-ranked player, had the prerogative to choose his Olympics partner, which happened to be N Sriram Balaji.
The AITA has also announced the appointment of former national champion Ashutosh Singh as the new coach for the national team, following a selection process that included several candidates, such as M Balachandran and former players Somdev Devvarman and Aditya Sachdeva.
Joining Nagal in the team are Ramkumar Ramanathan, N Sriram Balaji, Niki Poonacha, and Siddharth Vishwakarma. Poonacha, who made his debut against Pakistan, retains his place, while Vishwakarma makes a comeback. Aryan Shah has been named as the reserve player.
The absence of Sasikumar Mukund, currently India’s third-highest-ranked player, is also notable. Mukund is serving a two-tie suspension imposed by the AITA Executive Committee following his refusal to participate in the Pakistan tie earlier this year.
With Bhambri’s absence, the responsibility of doubles might fall on Ramkumar Ramanathan, who may be required to compete in both singles and doubles matches. The team management is exploring various combinations, including pairing Balaji with either Poonacha or Ramanathan.
Rohit Rajpal returns as captain after missing the Pakistan tie due to personal reasons. The team will be looking to put up a strong performance against Sweden on the indoor hard courts.
