The International Tennis Federation (ITF) had informed the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that it would be Kazakhstan, if the venue for the Indian-Pakistan Davis Cup tie is confirmed to be staged on neutral ground.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation had appealed to the ITF to reconsider its decision to shift the tie out of Islamabad, Pakistan, after the announcement for a neutral venue was made by ITF on November 4.
Since Kazakhstan has the visa on arrival procedure, the formalities are believed to be a lot more easy than elsewhere, with the tie scheduled to be staged on November 29 and 30.
Originally Pakistan had been given five days to confirm the neutral venue on November 4, but that has been stretched till November 18.
Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna pulled out of the tie against Pakistan due to a shoulder injury, paving the way for Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan’s inclusion in the playing squad.
Bopanna, who underwent an MRI scan on Monday, communicated his unavailability to non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal.
The 39-year-old was expected to be paired with veteran Leander Paes for the doubles rubber of the November 29-30 tie.
eft-handed Nedunchezhiyan was named as one of the three reserves in the eight-member squad announced by the AITA selection committee.
“It’s disappointing not to have Rohan in the side. But we want him to protect his shoulder. He needs shots (injection) for treatment. We have an able replacement in Jeevan.
He has done well on the Tour and we will have a good left-right combination,” Rajpal told PTI.
Bopanna is country’s top doubles player. Now the two best-ranked players are not available for the tie. Divij Sharan is also unavailable because of his wedding reception.
Nedunchezhiyan has been knocking on the doors of the Indian Davis Cup team for some time by consistently performing on the ATP tour.
(W ith inputs from PTI )
