Slippery slope: By not turning up for the nation, Nagal has opened a debate.
| Picture Credit score: FILE PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA
The one shock within the 0-4 defeat towards Sweden within the World Group 1 Davis Cup tie in Stockholm final week was the Indian staff not profitable even a set. Nonetheless, the noise surrounding this tie is unusually heavy and fairly jarring, with accusations and counters.
What has not gone down properly is the truth that the 29-year-old Sumit Nagal, ranked No. 82, lamented the dearth of depth in Indian tennis in a podcast together with his mentor Somdev Devvarman.
India’s possibilities would have been enhanced had Nagal performed in Stockholm. However there was nonetheless no assure as he had misplaced twice to the Swedish No. 1 Elias Ymer and had overwhelmed him solely as soon as on clay, this 12 months. The Davis Cup tie was performed on an indoor onerous courtroom.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, India No. 2, confirmed up and competed in addition to he might; as former captain Mahesh Bhupathi put it properly, Ramkumar turns up for Nationwide responsibility no matter his kind or how he feels.
This isn’t the primary time Nagal has opted out of Davis Cup. He did that in India’s earlier project, towards Pakistan within the World Group 1 playoff in Islamabad. Nonetheless, the inadequacies of Indian tennis weren’t uncovered then as Ramkumar and firm cruised previous Pakistan 4-0 when Zeeshan Ali was each captain and coach.
Regardless of pulling it off towards the neighbour, there was no chest thumping. In distinction, Nagal took credit score (through the podcast) for serving to India clinch the World Group 2 tie towards Morocco in Lucknow, profitable each his matches.
The actual fact stays that Nagal has received solely 4 extra rubbers, two towards the lesser-known Pakistan gamers in 2019 when Aisam Qureshi and Aqeel Khan refused to play on impartial floor in Kazakhstan. One different victory got here in a useless rubber towards Norway. His solely notable win was towards August Holmgren in three units within the World Group 1 playoff final 12 months towards Denmark.
Nagal could have had real grouse, particularly after not being nominated by the AITA for the Australian Open wild card this 12 months. Nonetheless, as Nandan Bal, the chairman of selectors, put it succinctly, Nagal ought to have understood that he was enjoying for India, not the AITA.
With mounting criticism, the AITA selected to defend itself, and steered that Nagal could have missed the Sweden tie on function regardless of all of the persuasion. To search out fault with the Indian system — nonetheless real — forward of a match through which he was seemingly injured was fairly unbecoming of Nagal, the nation’s No. 1 participant.
Printed – September 18, 2024 09:38 pm IST
