Davis Cup: India is ranked No. 461 in the world, while Pakistan is ranked No. 1681. The uncommon Indian team’s visit of Pakistan has lost its luster due to a significant disparity in standings between the two teams and a stadium that can hold 500 spectators.
India will look to ride their status as strong favorites to return to World Group 1, even though the focus of this match may be the chilly sporting ties between the two nations.
India was humiliated to be relegated to World Group 2 after difficult matches against Casper Ruud-led Norway and Holger Rune-led Denmark.
However, home matches against lower-ranked Morocco and now away matches against Pakistan should provide them with an opportunity to move up one level.
World No. 461 Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji, who last participated in a professional singles match in October 2022, will lead the Indian team instead of Sumit Nagal, who just returned from an encouraging second-round finish at the Australian Open, or Sasikumar Mukund.
Even yet, there’s a chance that the teams’ historical mismatch—India has won all seven of their prior meetings against Pakistan in the Davis Cup—will persist. At the moment ranked 1681 in the world, Muzammil Mortaza, a 24-year-old from Pakistan, will be the highest-ranked player.
The two teams’ most recent match ended in a 4-0 thumping in 2019 at a neutral site in Kazakhstan; India’s repeated petitions for the match were turned down this time.
The team’s top players, aging veterans Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, however, refused to play five years ago in protest of the tie being moved out of Pakistan, and they are still leading their side’s home challenge this weekend.
The two teams’ most recent match ended in a 4-0 thumping in 2019 at a neutral site in Kazakhstan; India’s repeated petitions for the match were turned down this time.
The team’s top players, aging veterans Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, however, refused to play five years ago in protest of the tie being moved out of Pakistan, and they are still leading their side’s home challenge this weekend.
Despite not even being included in the ATP rankings, Qureshi, 43, and Khan, 44, were drawn to play Ramkumar and Balaji in the singles bouts on Saturday, as the draw announced on Friday. Sunday, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni will take against Mortaza and Barkat Ullah in the doubles rubber.
Of the four, Ramkumar is the only one who continues to play professional singles full-time and is skilled on grass.
Reaching the final of an ATP 250 event on grass back in 2018 was the finest accomplishment of Ramkumar’s career, as he is one of the few Indian players who is still proficient at serve and volley. On paper, India has the advantage because of his presence.
Since they can’t rely on loud home support with only 500 or so spectators in attendance due to security measures, the Pakistani veterans will be hoping to use their experience on grass courts to cause any upsets in the second singles on Saturday and possibly, if they can force one, in the second reverse singles on Sunday.
TEAMS:
India: Saketh Myneni, Niki Poonacha, Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji, and Ramkumar Ramanathan
Pakistan: Barkat Ullah, Muzammil Murtaza, Muhammad Shoaib, Aisam Qureshi, and Aqeel Khan
