After the Olympic selection fiasco, you would expect the All India Tennis Association to get its act together and think long and hard for any future selections. Yet, here we are, just three months later, scratching our heads at yet another bewildering selection for India’s Davis Cup tie against unfancied New Zealand this coming weekend in Chandigarh.
With Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman making themselves unavailable for the tie, and Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna being declared as ‘tadipaars’ for their refusal to toe the AITA line and partner Paes at the Olympics, this is the perfect opportunity to build a fresh new squad that would carry the Indian flag in the years to come.
The AITA got it spot on when it named the initial six-member squad last month – Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam Singh, Sriram Balaji, Saketh Myneni and Divij Sharan. But when it came down to naming the final four, the AITA decided to go with Bhambri, Vardhan, Singh and Myneni – in the process bypassing Divij Sharan, who at no. 109, is the highest ranked Indian player in doubles after our very own Big 3 – Paes, Bhupathi and Bopanna.
Sharan is a strapping 6 foot 26 year old currently playing the best tennis of his career. Sharan has reached 7 finals on the ATP Challenger circuit (one level below the elite ATP tour) this year – 3 with Vardhan and 4 with Bhambri. His exclusion deprives the team of a doubles specialist. Bhambri and Vardhan are both decent doubles players themselves – with Bhambri ranking inside the top 200 in the format while Vardhan is inside the top 250. But both have had their best success when partnering Sharan and not each other.
Bhambri and Vardhan are India’s top 2 singles players as well, assuring their place in the squad. The other two members of the team – Sanam Singh and Saketh Myneni – are also better known for their singles play than their doubles prowess. India would have been much better off with 3 singles players and a doubles specialist in Sharan within the team. Doubles has been a strong point for the Indians in the past and Sharan’s omission deprives the Indians of setting up another strong doubles tandem in Sharan and Vardhan or Bhambri.
While Paes and Bhupathi may not be playing too much longer, Bopanna will likely be back in the Indian squad next year. And while Sharan may find it hard to reserve a place in a team that aso includes Bopanna, the AITA could have used this tie as a perfect opportunity to build a suitable alternate for Bopanna in Sharan for the years ahead and give the youngster some invaluable Davis Cup experience.
India will still, in all probability, win the tie against the Kiwis and Sharan will be on the bench as a reserve player, cheering his compatriots and buddies on – biding his time and waiting for the day when he’s called upon for national duty.
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