Davis Cup: Bold move by India, captain Rohit Rajpal fields Dhakshineshwar Suresh against Switzerland

Bold move by India, captain Rohit Rajpal fields Dhakshineshwar Suresh against Switzerland (Photo- Insagram)

In a bold move, India have thrown young Dhakishneshwar Suresh in the ring along with comeback man Sumit Nagal for the World Group I indoor tie against formidable hosts Switzerland, beginning here on Friday, as they eye a Davis Cup Qualifiers spot.

Captain Rohit Rajpal convinced the coaches of Dhakishneshwar in the US to let him fly to Switzerland for the tie and the 6-feet 5-inch tall Madurai-born player responded well by putting up an excellent show during the training week.

Flat hitting and big serve is key on indoor courts and Dhakshineshwar ticked both the boxes, which easily convinced the non-playing captain that he will be more suitable as second singles player.

Dhakishneshwar (ranked 626) will open the tie against world number 155 Jerome Kym.

"We are taking decisions based on performance, there is nothing whimsical about it," Rajpal told PTI.

"Dhakshineshwar has a huge serve and it's a huge weapon in indoor court ties. There were visa issues so I had requested Dhakshineshwar's coaches in US College to prepare him on indoor courts.

"I was in constant touch with them. When Dhakshineshwar came here, he had nicely shaped up for the tie. I had no hesitation in picking him as our second singles player. His game is ideal for indoor courts. He has beaten a few good players recently on the Tour," added Rajpal.

"I am glad he is opening the tie. First day is always crucial, hoping to get a good start." Nagal is returning to Davis Cup action after the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023 where he won both his singles matches in India’s 4-1 win. He did not travel to Pakistan for the historic tie in February 2024 and also missed the subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo.

Nagal has been struggling of late and is now ranked 292 following unfavourable results this season. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy this month has been his best showing this season. He plays the second singles Friday against Marc Andrea Hüsler (ranked 222).

However, India will be without top doubles player Yuki Bhambri, who could not recover from a heel injury suffered during the memorable US Open campaign where he reached the semifinals with partner Michael Venus.

In his absence, Rothvik Bollipalli will pair with N Sriram Balaji to take on the Swiss combo of Dominic Stricker (244 in singles) and Jakub Paul (doubles ranked 78). "It's just unfortunate that Yuki has to miss out. He had suffered bruises in his heel and that has not healed as yet," said Rajpal.

Switzerland made a late addition to the squad in reigning junior Australian Open champion Henry Bernet.

India have entered the tie off a dominant 4–0 win over Togo in their World Group I Play-off while Switzerland fell 1–3 to Spain in Qualifiers.

India leads Switzerland 2–1 in Davis Cup ties. The last time two teams met was back in 1993 in Kolkata when India won 3–2 with singles wins from Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan, and a five-setter in doubles.

The winner will move to next year's Davis Cup Qualifiers and the loser will head to World Group I Play-offs.

Indoor conditions in Biel favour flat, hard hitting. Youth and sharpness will matter, especially for resurgent Nagal and Dhakshineshwar.

Switzerland’s depth through will test Indian singles resilience. Doubles could be pivotal: Indian pairing must match Swiss strength.