Davis Cup: Mukund's last chance for glory?

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Sasikumar Mukund will aim for a winning return to the Davis Cup fold and redeem himself after serving an unannounced suspension as India will start firm favourites against lower-ranked yet gritty Togo in the World Group I Play-off, starting here from Saturday.

Much was expected from Mukund when he broke into the national scene a few years back, drawing praise even from the legendary Leander Paes but his progress was marred by injuries.

If the struggle on the Tour and injuries were not enough, he courted controversy on his Davis Cup debut in September 2023 and then last year for his refusal to play for the country.

However, better sense prevailed and the 28-year-old, who largely trains in Austria, made himself available for the tie against Togo.

It is now a perfect opportunity for Mukund in the absence of Sumit Nagal to win his first Davis Cup match and contribute in India's victory in this tie, the winner of which will compete in World Group I in September this year.

The rival players, except Thomas Setodji, are not even ranked. Rankings do not matter in the Davis Cup, yet they help when the opponents are not formidable. The stage is set for Mukund and he must take advantage.

He will open against Liova Ayite Ajavon while Ramkumar Ramanathan will play the second singles against Setodji, who is ranked as low as 1256 on the ATP ranking chart.

"Morocco was not an easy experience and hopefully tomorrow is the chance to redeem myself, and I can get to the finish line. It has been a while since I played in Morocco and I am much fitter and a better player now. I have put in a lot of hard work, in general," he said.

The gulf is wide when one compares the exposure and experience of players on the two sides but India will be wary of a passionate bunch from the tiny African nation that has been on a roll in the World Cup of tennis.

Togo have won 10 of their last 11 ties but they have not competed against the sides of high calibre. They would like to believe that they can shock India but it will be a reality check for the Togolese players as well.

India are going in with the tried and tested Ramkumar for the second singles when Karan Singh was also an option. Considering that Togo is manageable, throwing 21-year-old Karan in the ring was a good opportunity to hand him some good experience of knowing what it feels like to represent India.

Mukund said it does not matter who is playing since every player picked deserves the spot.

"It does not matter if you play or not, if your job is to play or to bring bottles to the court. It does not reflect the inability of the third player, he is also equally important. It's just that we have made a choice and we will back that decision," Mukund said.

While Karan misses out, India have handed a debut to Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli, who has quietly made it to the top 100 in doubles and also competed in his first tennis Major at the Australian Open.

He will pair with N. Sriram Balaji, who has been playing some solid tennis on the Tour, of late. It's about the adjustment they make as a pair on the re-laid, slow Centre Court.

"It's a dream come true for me," said Bollipalli.

Balaji said Bolliaplli, with whom he won a Challenger last year, is a disciplined player.

"Playing with Rithvik suits me. He will play on the deuce side and I on the ad court side. I like his work ethics. He is focussed and disciplined, he works hard. I enjoy playing with him," he said.

There has been a debate if India needed its strong players to tackle Togo, but skipper Rajpal said he did not want to take things lightly.

"It's a format based on merit. India had reached the final without being a seeded team. If they have reached the Playoffs, it means they have played at a good level," he said.

The doubles and reverse singles will be played on Sunday.

India vs Togo:

On Saturday:

Sasikumar Mukund vs Liova Ayite Ajavon

Ramkumar Ramanathan vs Thomas Setodji

On Sunday:

N Sriram Balaji/Rithvik Bollipalli vs Thomas Steodji/ Hod'Abalo Isak Padio

Sasikumar Mukund vs Thomas Setodji

Ramkumar Ramanathan vs Liova Ayite Ajavon.