Yuki Bhambri likely to miss Davis Cup tie, Balaji to anchor doubles: Rohit Rajpal

India's Davis Cup non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal on Tuesday said Yuki Bhambri is unlikely to be available for the World Group I tie against South Korea, with N Sriram Balaji set to anchor the doubles combination.

The Indian team is preparing for the September 19-20 tie in Seoul, where the hosts have prepared slow courts with low bounce, conditions that could pose a challenge to India's players.

"Yuki Bambri is not doing too well with his thigh and may not be available to play the Davis Cup. So, we're working on that area to see what our combination is going to be," Rajpal said.

Rajpal said the team is also awaiting the arrival of Niki Poonacha, while Anirudh Chandrasekar has flown in from New York as India works on different doubles combinations.

"We're trying different combinations of doubles every day at the moment, and we'll be ready," he said.

The Indian captain said Balaji, who has broken into the top 50 of the doubles rankings, would be the anchor for the doubles this time.

"But Bala is playing very, very well. He is going to be the anchor for doubles this time. And as you know, he broke into the top 50 in doubles," Rajpal said.

"So, I would like to see him take the lead and lead the doubles this time," he added.

Rajpal said the playing conditions have been carefully prepared by the hosts, with the slow court and low bounce likely to test both Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan.

"The court is slow. But at the same time, the bounce is not there. Sumit likes the balls to bounce because he rolls a lot. But the balls are not bouncing," he said.

"They have slowed it down because DK also does not like slow courts. He has a huge serve. So, they countered it again with this thing. The balls are getting fluffed up every third game. So, they slow down quite a bit, and they become heavy," Rajpal added.

He said India must adapt quickly to the conditions and turn the home advantage enjoyed by South Korea into a challenge they can overcome.

"The good part is that we got here earlier and we know. So, now we need to see how to strategise and make this into a strength," he said.

Rajpal believes the two teams are evenly matched and said the tie could be decided by which side handles pressure better on the big points.

"I think that the teams are pretty even. And I mean, they are a strong team to get here. They beat Argentina. I mean, Argentina is a very tough team to beat," he said.

"I think the difference is going to be on the day of play, who is going to really rise to the occasion and take the pressure well and play the big points well. I think that's going to be the difference between the two teams," he added.

Rajpal also said he would like to give youngsters such as Manav Samne an opportunity if circumstances allow, stressing the need to keep India's pipeline ready.

"The idea is that, you know, we're trying to get the younger guys also in so that they understand these pressures. They get trained," he said.

"We don't want that. And that is why I've made sure that every time we play, we have a bunch of youngsters all the time so that your pipeline is getting ready," he added.

India are competing in the Davis Cup's top 16 for the first time in three decades, and Rajpal believes the team has the ability to challenge the world's best.

"We are here after 30 years to play in the top 16 to go into the World Finals now. We've got here beating some very good teams and very good players," he said.

"So I do believe that, you know, if my boys are playing up to their potential, then India currently has the talent and the potential to beat any team in the world," Rajpal added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)