Sumit Nagal returns to India’s Davis Cup tie against Sweden, Yuki Bhambri opts out of selection

New Delhi: Top-ranked Indian tennis singles player Sumit Nagal was back in India’s Davis Cup squad for the World Group I tie against Sweden in September. The 27-year-old will return to the national team after missing out on the Pakistan tie earlier in February this year.

The World No.74 cited grass was his alienated area which fuelled rifts with the All India Tennis Association (AITA). The federation denied the Haryana-born player a wild card entry for the Australian Open as a matter of consequence.

Keeping the past differences aside, Nagal will lead the Indian tennis team as they will move to Stockholm on the hard court. However, Yuki Bhambri, who was part of the squad for the Pakistan tie in Islamabad, has opted out of the Sweden away tie.

The 32-year-old Yuki Bhambri is said to be upset for not being considered for Paris Olympics men’s doubles team with N Sriram Balaji getting the nod from veteran Rohan Bopanna. Nandan Bal, who is the chairman of the selection committee, said Yuki wasn’t available for selection.

“Yuki was not available for selection and he has not given any reason for his non-availability. We were given a list of available players and his name did not figure there, so we picked players who were available,” Bal told news agency PTI.

When PTI contacted Yuki for a comment, the player from Delhi confirmed his absence but didn’t mention the specified reason.

Ramkumar Ramanathan, Sriram Balaji, Niki Poonacha, and Siddharth Vishwakarma (2018 national champion) are the other members included in India’s Davis Cup squad for the Sweden tie scheduled between September 14 and 15. Aryan Shah is named as the reserve player.

Sasikumar Mukund, who is the third-highest ranked player at number 476, was not considered for selection as he is serving a two-tie suspension for his refusal to play the Pakistan tie early this year.

“Mukund was handed a two-tie suspension by the Executive Committee for his consistent refusal to play for the national team. He did it three times in a row, so he was not to be considered for two ties. This is the first tie and he will not be considered in the next one too,” an AITA source said.

Ashtosh Singh replaces Zeeshan Ali as Davis Cup coach

Delhi’s Ashutosh Singh will be the coach of the Indian side after Zeeshan Ali recently resigned from the post. Rohit Rajpal will also come back to captain the side after missing the Pakistan tie because of personal reasons.

“The choice for the coach was discussed with the players and most of them wanted Ashutosh to be the coach,” said the AITA source adding that the names of Somdev Devvarman and Aditya Sachdeva also came up for discussion.

AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said the Executive Committee appoints only the captain and the appointment of the coach was done by the office bearers of the federation.

“Captain Rohit Rajpal had discussed it with the players and we approved it. EC meeting was not required for the appointment of coach,” Dhupar said.

With Yuki’s absence and Rohan’s retirement from national duty, the onus to play on doubles will be on Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sriram Balaji. Karnataka’s Niki Poonacha, who made his Davis Cup debut in Islamabad, will be another viable option for the doubles. Ramkumar will also be the second singles player to join Sumit Nagal in the key role.