Davis Cup: Rohit Rajpal rues Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri's absence for Togo tie
India will play their Davis Cup World Group I play-off tie against Togo on Saturday, Sunday.
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Delhi: The Delhi Lawn Tennis Association's centre court is buzzing with activity here on Tuesday. The Indian contingent for the Davis Cup World Group I Playoff is gearing up for their tie against Togo.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, Sasikumar Mukund, N Sriram Balaji and others have flocked down to the national capital from from different corners of the world. They are engrossed with training drills.
Watching all the action from the side lines is Rohit Rajpal, India's captain for the tie.
"We got here early," Rajpal tells The Bridge. "We have been here for four-five days already.
"We're trying to get all the boys [together]. They came from different parts of the world, so the first important thing was that their body clock becomes used to the local timing. Then, we're trying to do a lot of drills, play a lot of sets so that when the time comes they are all sharp and ready to play matches," he added.
Sumit, Yuki's absence
Sumit Nagal, India's highest ranked singles player, has opted out of a Davis Cup yet again. The tie against Togo will be his third straight miss.
Nagal's repeated absence from the tie has been mired in controversy and has been touted as a defiance of national duty by All India Tennis Federation (AITA) and the management in the past. He also has, on occasions, criticised Indian tennis administration for its dysfunctionalities.
"When a general goes for war, he would like to have all kinds of missiles and artillery in his bag," Rajpal reflected. "It's a very similar situation.
"My no.1 player for singles and my no.1 player for doubles [Yuki Bhambri] not being here is a disappointment, no two ways about it," he rued.
Bhambri, ranked 42nd in the world, pulled out of the tie, leaving India without their top two players. However unlike Nagal, Bhambri was a part of the Indian team for their tie against arch rivals Pakistan last year.
"They are both good boys and I am quite hopeful that they will be available for the upcoming ties," said Rajpal.
"There are certain differences with certain people which we are trying to sort out. And I am sure that we are going to have them back in the team firing away for India," he added.
The captain is also quick to note that one cannot expect all top players in the world to be a good Davis Cup player. The World Cup of Tennis requires a different set of skills.
"Not every top player makes a good Davis Cup player," he said. "Leander Paes was not top 10 or 20 in the world but was probably the greatest Davis Cupper, one of the greatest there was.
"Rising to the occasion, to be able to handle playing Davis Cup and the pressures that come with it is an art and is something which comes with more and more of exposure to that," he added.
Blooding in youngsters
In the absence of Nagal and Bhambri, youngsters like Rithwik Choudhary Bollipalli, Karan Singh have made it to the main squad and might get some game time.
Aryan Shah, who was called up for the tie against Sweden last year, is present in the team as a reserve. So is the 20-year-old Yuvan Nandal and the 2024 junior national champion Chirag Duhan.
The decision to blood in the youngsters has been taken keeping in mind the future. Rapal wants them to be exposed to Davis Cup pressure early on.
"Indians tend to peak late but yes, we want the younger batch, the next ring, coming in and knocking on the doors," opined Rajpal on the presence of youngsters in the team. "They should be around.
"That is why we have people like Manas Dhamne, Aryan Shah, Chirag Duhan, Yuvan Nandal – all these kids coming here and practising with the team," he added.
Athletic opponents
India's opponents Togo were off the Davis Cup circuit for almost two decades from 2003 before making a return in 2022. They have since won ten out of their 11 ties.
Though Thomas Setodji is the only ATP ranked player in the West African nation's set-up, India cannot afford to take them lightly in absence of their own big names. They are one of the best teams to emerge out of the African continent in recent years.
"These guys [Togo] have beaten ten countries and some of them were tough teams," stated Rajpal. "So we are not taking anything lightly."
Having watched Togo go about their practice sessions from the stands, Rajpal deduces that all his opponents are athletic and naturally gifted bodies.
"But we are trying to see what they do with the racket. The fact that they are here, at this position, playing a play-off with us in this format now is all based on merit," he quipped.
With a tough battle expected to play out over the course of the weekend, the focus will be on the experienced Ramkumar and Sasikumar from an Indian perspective.
"Sasi is looking in good nick, he's our no.1 ranked player," said Rajpal. "Karan is also playing quite well, he's had some good wins in the past couple of months. Ram has a lot of experience, he's a good Davis Cupper.
"Luckily we have a choice at least," Rajpal signed off.
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