India's upcoming Davis Cup World Group I play-off home tie against Togo in Delhi presents a reasonable challenge, according to team captain Rohit Rajpal, who sees the fixture as an opportunity to develop emerging talent.
"Playing in home conditions is always beneficial. We have travelled a lot in the last two-three seasons. The slow, hard courts at the DLTA were ideal if Sumit Nagal had played but still, the conditions will suit us," Rajpal said. "The choice could have been grass courts if we knew Sumit would opt out."
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Nagal did not make himself available for the tie, which will be played on February 1-2. World number 368 Sasikumar Mukund will spearhead the Indian contingent.
Mukund returns to national duty following his previous appearance against Morocco in Lucknow. His recent suspension by AITA on disciplinary matters was revoked following intervention from captain Rajpal.
The squad has been strengthened with the inclusion of Aryan Shah, Chirag Duhan and Yuvaan Nandal, who will participate in the preparatory camp commencing Thursday at the DLTA Complex
Ramkumar Ramanathan and Karan Singh will represent India in singles matches, whilst N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli, fresh from their Australian Open campaign, will handle the doubles responsibilities.
The selection of reserve players will be finalised after the training camp concludes.
"I will not say that it will be a cakewalk for us but the tie will give us the option to groom the next generation of players in the Davis Cup environment and, playing at home, we can definitely utilise the home advantage and home support," Rajpal said.
The selected players will join the Indian team's training sessions, providing valuable experience for their development. Previously, promising young talents Manas Dhamne and Dakshineshwar Suresh were anticipated to participate in the training camp.
Thomas Steodji stands as Togo's main competitor in the upcoming matches. Their team arrives with a track record of three victories against Latvia, Indonesia and Benin.
