With India all geared up for the Norway test, Indian Davis Cup skipper Rohit Rajpal during an exclusive chat on Davis Cup special programme powered by Dafa News on ITV Network spoke about the players in the squad and the absence of Divij Sharan.
EXCERPTS
Q. Sumit Nagal is also back in team India. What is the expectations from him?
A. Sumit is shaping up very well. He has shown some good results in the previous tournaments and which is why I have him in the team. It is always great to have Sumit. He is a tough guy and a grinder! When you get him out there, it is not easy to get him off court for any other guy. So, we just have to get there and see how well he has recovered. And it was important because he is also a young guy and he is the future of tennis. We also need to plan for the future of the game. I think it was important to have Sumit in the team. He is shaping up well and is a force to reckon with.
Q. You have one strength, a clay court specialist Prajnesh Gunneswaran, he didn’t play last time in the Denmark tie, as it was being played on grass courts. So, what capabilities do you see in him?
A. Well, Prajnesh has a very big game. He is a tall guy. He covers a huge area and hits very well on both sides. Again, he is another player who can beat anybody. I really believe he has a huge game to beat anybody in the world. He had been nursing a wrist injury for a while but I have been speaking and we have been told that he is now injury free totally.
Q. By the way, why has Divij Sharan been left out?
A. We have Yuki and Saketh who can also play good doubles. We felt that we were covered for doubles and were a little worried about the singles. There are four singles players and we need to have more in this category. Suppose somebody gets injured at the last minute or just before the tournament, then we need to have a backup. We wanted to cover our singles a little bit more than the doubles because we have a couple of players like Yuki and Saketh in doubles.
Q. What is the strategy?
A. Well, I would rather not disclose the strategy and keep it to myself. Strategy depends on the local conditions that we have, how the ball is bouncing and whether it is faster, slower, high, or low, all these things are watched. And then we see who is going to be suitable to play in our team, who can use this as an advantage. And then we see the disadvantages from the other side, and that is how we form a strategy.