Indian tennis would not travel to Pakistan for the Davis Cup in February next year without New Delhi’s approval. India may have to forfeit the Davis Cup play-off against Pakistan since the local tennis association said the squad was waiting for permission to enter Pakistan on Thursday.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) requested permission from the sports ministry to go to Pakistan after the ITF tribunal denied a request to relocate the match to a third country. “The proposal is still with the ministry, and we await a decision,” said AITA secretary-general Anil Dhupar. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) head Salim Saifullah Khan said 18 Indian players had filed for visas for the February 3-4 World Group 1 match.
Will the Davis Cup be held in Pakistan or India?
“All arrangements are made. The greatest security and accommodations will be provided. Politics should not enter sports, and common reason triumphs “he stressed. Indian Davis Cup squad last visited Islamabad in 1964, and Pakistani tennis team last visited New Delhi in 2006. A 2019 match was moved to Kazakhstan owing to political sensitivities, according to India Today and the AITA. Sports competitions between India and Pakistan are rare due to decades of animosity.
Their biggest sporting rivalry is cricket, both countries’ most popular sport. Over a decade has passed since their cricket teams last played bilaterally, and they normally play in larger events. Pakistan lost hosting the September 50-over Asia Cup to Sri Lanka after India failed to travel. After its proposal to host matches in a third country was denied, the Green Shirts toured India for the ICC World Cup 2023 the following month. On Tuesday (December 26), Saifullah Khan announced the national team to play India at a media conference. The team that beat Indonesia has been kept.
International Aisamul Haq will captain the team. The team also comprises Aqeel Khan, Shoaib, Abid, and Barkatullah. Salim Saifullah, PTF EVP Khawar Hyat, and SVP Saeed Khan agreed this is the finest combination for playing on the grass courts where we will hold the tie. Indian players include ITF-ranked Ramkumar Ramanathan, Sriram Balaji, Yuki Bhambri, Saketh Myneni, Niki Poonacha, and Digvijay Pratap Singh. Captain Rohit Rajpal, coach Zeeshan Ali, and coach Ashutosh Singh are others. Debashish Das, Anand Kumar, Dr. Anil Jain, and Mrs. Vandana Jain. Officials Anil Dhupar, Sunder Lyer, and Sunil Yajaman are also listed.
