For the first time in 60 years, the Indian Davis Cup arrived in Islamabad, led by non-playing captain Zeeshan Ali in place of Rohit Rajpal.
The Indian squad arrived in Islamabad on Sunday evening. The team consists of five players, two physiotherapists, and two All India Tennis Association (AITA) officials. Indian players are expected to be restricted to using the stadium and hotel.
The players trained in Islamabad on Monday amid tight security.
After defeating Morcco 4-1 in the World Group II playoffs in Lucknow, India will face Pakistan on February 3-4 at the Pakistan Sports Complex in the World Group I playoffs.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) was able to move India’s Davis Cup match from its intended 2019 opponent, Pakistan, to Kazakhstan, a neutral location, citing diplomatic issues between the two countries.
The Indian Davis Cup squad will return to Pakistan for the first time since 1964. India defeated Pakistan 4-0 in their most recent neutral venue match in 2019.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, ranked 463rd in the world, will captain the Indian side in place of top-seeded singles player Sumit Nagal, who retired in the second round of the Australian Open, and Sasikumar Mukund, who withdrew from the tie last month.
The Indian squad would also be without Rohan Boppana, the recently revealed men’s double Grand Slam winner who declared his retirement following a match against Morocco in Lucknow last year.
The other members of the Indian team include Digvijay Pratap Singh, who made his debut against Morocco in the team’s most recent Davis Cup assignment in Lucknow in September, along with N Sriram Balaji, Niki Poonacha, and Saketh Myneni. The team’s backup player is Singh.
Upon their arrival, the Indian Davis Cup team was accorded “head of state” level security in Pakistan prior to their Davis Cup match, and the Indian Davis Cup manager was pleased with the hospitality extended to them by the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).