Will Mahesh and Leander's absence hurt the Indian Davis Cup team?

14 September, 2012

The Indian Davis Cup team is manned by youngsters who are scheduled to take on New Zealand at Chandigarh from September 14-16. The Indian tennis team is going to miss the services of Leander and Mahesh in the tie. But who knows - we might witness the rise of another tennis star.

THE INDIAN Davis Cup team looks weak without any big time player in the squad. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are household names in Indian tennis, but the Indian team is surely going to miss them badly in the scheduled Davis Cup match against New Zealand at Chandigarh. It is only for the second time in the last 18 years that the team would not feature Bhupathi or Paes.

The current squad against New Zealand includes Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan and Divij Sharan. How many of us know these players or are rather are known in the international circuit? None. Out of these players, only Yuki Bhambri may be known by ardent Tennis followers, as he won the Australian Open (Junior) in 2009. He is the top ranked Indian (179) among these players. The other two players are ranked 263 and 438, and have won nothing commendable. So what can we expect from such players while playing for the national squad?

It is Yuki Bhambri who is going to set the ball rolling in the first match, where he faces David King-Turner of New Zealand. Vishnu Vardhan will play the second singles against Jose Statham. In the doubles category, it is Vardhan who will be paired against Divij Sharan to take on the New Zealand pair. For the return fixtures there might be some changes, but it all depends on the performance of the first day.

But, we should not count out the Indian team so early on, as the humid weather conditions along with home support might play an important factor in yielding good results for India. These youngsters have nothing to lose so they should give it their all and announce themselves on the world stage. These players must see this Davis Cup as an opportunity to earn a name.