AITA revamps team for AAG

The All India Tennis Association announced a revamped team for the inaugural Afro-Asian Games, to be held in Hyderabad, from October 24 to November 1.

The new team includes Grand Slam doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi, Davis Cuppers Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna, and those who formed the original squad, comprising Asian Games bronze medallist Vishal Uppal, former Asian junior champion Sunil Kumar Sipaeya and Vinod Sridhar, announced by IATA last week.

The women's team, comprising Sania Mirza, Megha Vakharia, Rushmi Chakravarthy and Sonal Phadke remains unchanged.

Amritraj, Bopanna, Uppal and Kannan will play in the men's team competition.

Amritraj and Bopanna will also play the individual singles while Bhupathi will combine with Bopanna in the doubles.

Sridhar and Sipaeya form the second doubles team.

In the mixed doubles, Bhupathi will team with Sania, who last year won the Asian Games mixed doubles bronze medal with Leander Paes.

Uppal and Rushmi are the other mixed pair.

Former India player S P Mishra will captain the men's team while Enrico Piperno will lead the women's team.

Notable omissions from the contingent include Leander Paes, who is recovering from a brain lesion, and Davis Cupper Harsh Mankad.

AITA secretary general Anil Khanna cleared doubts about the availability of Amritraj, who hurt a thigh muscle while playing in an ATP Challenger in Belgaum.

"I spoke to Vijay [Prakash's father] and he was happy that his son would be representing India in an international event at home," Khanna said.