New Delhi: India will travel to the Kazakhstan capital Nur-Sultan to take on Pakistan in the upcoming Davis Cup tie as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has nominated the venue.
The Independent Tribunal of the ITF endorsed the decision taken by the Davis Cup Committee, November 4 that the tie should be shifted to a neutral venue, keeping in mind safety and security of players and officials.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) had filed an appeal contesting the decision. It argued that if Indian pilgrims can visit Pakistan without any security threat, why can’t the Indian team play matches in Islamabad.
“The ITF has communicated to us that the tie will be held in Nur-Sultan. We can’t say if it rejected the PTF appeal. In a late-night communication Monday, they just mentioned the new venue,” AITA CEO Akhuori Bishwadeep told this agency.
The tie was scheduled to be held in September but was pushed to November 29-30 after India expressed concerns about the safety of their players due to the prevailing diplomatic tensions between the two nations following the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
India have named a full-strength squad for the tie as all the top players, who had refused to travel to Islamabad, agreed to play on a neutral venue.
The side will be led by top singles players Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan while veteran Leander Paes and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan are likely to pair up for the doubles.
Top doubles player Rohan Bopanna pulled out of the tie Monday after suffering a shoulder injury. However, the AITA has not taken Bopanna’s withdrawal kindly. Sources said that Bopanna is not ready to play for India as Mahesh Bhupathi has been removed from the post of non-playing captain. They also said that Leander’s inclusion in the side is another reason why Bopanna is not ready to play the Davis Cup tie.
Agencies