MUMBAI: Months of effort by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) has paid off! The International Tennis Federation announced late Monday that the Asia-Oceania Davis Cup Group I tie between India and Pakistan, which was scheduled to be contested in Islamabad on November 29-30, will be played at a neutral venue.
The decision by the world body to shift the tie out of Pakistan followed an inspection carried out by the ITF’s independent security advisors.
The winner of this tie will figure in the World Group playoffs early next year.
The tie was originally supposed to be held in the second week of September but AITA had successfully lobbied to indefinitely postpone the fixture in the wake of the heightened political tensions following the Union government’s decision in August to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which had given special status to Jammu & Kashmir.
The ITF issued the following statement on its decision:
“Following a review of the latest advice given by the ITF’s independent security advisors, the Davis Cup Committee has taken the decision that the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie between Pakistan and India on 29-30 November 2019, must be played at a neutral venue.
“The ITF and Davis Cup Committee’s first priority has always been the safety of athletes, officials and spectators and the decision was made on this basis. As per the Davis Cup Regulations, the Pakistan Tennis Federation now has the choice to nominate a neutral venue and has five working days to confirm their proposed venue.”
Earlier Monday AITA had appointed its selection panel chairman and former player Rohit Rajpal as the non-playing captain in place of Mahesh Bhupathi and that decision stands, AITA secretary general Hironmoy Chatterjee confirmed to New Indian Express.
“The team we had picked did not want to go to Pakistan and most of them had made themselves unavailable. So we will choose a new team now,” Chatterjee said.
Expect Bhupathi and his “wingman” Rohan Bopanna to have something to say on the matter though.
Bhupathi told Telegraph India that under the changed scenario, he and other team members (Bopanna, Ramkumar Ramanathan, and Saketh Myneni, with Sasi Kumar Mukund as a reserve) will be willing to travel. “It is great news that ITF has agreed to a neutral venue. Of course I will be with the team,” he stated with certainty to the daily.
Meanwhile, in a major boost, seasoned campaigner Leander Paes has made himself available for the tie, Hindustan Times reports. “Having someone like Paes, the greatest Davis Cupper, in the pool is a major boost for the team,” Rajpal told the daily. This will be the seventh contest against Pakistan with India having won all the previous six ties. India have not travelled to Pakistan since the 1964 Davis Cup which they won 4-0 in Lahore.
Pakistan had to choose a neutral venue once in 1973 when they decided to play India in Kuala Lumpur after the 1971 war. India had won 4-0 then. The last time the two teams met was at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, in April 2006 when the hosts won 3-2.
