Somdev Devvarman to lead Davis Cup campaign against Serbia

Somdev Devvarman

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) In the absence of Leander Paes, Somdev Devvarman will be spearheading the Indian campaign in the crucial Davis Cup World Group play-off against 2013 finalists Serbia in Bangalore September 12-14.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) selection committee, headed by Anil Dhurpar, met here on Wednesday and picked Somdev, Yuki Bhambri, Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni for the Davis Cup tie.

"Zeeshan Ali (coach) stated that Anand Amritraj (Davis Cup captain) had suggested to the selection committee that since Paes is not available for Davis Cup and also since Mahesh Bhupathi is not playing competitive tennis for the last few months, he prefers the playing combination of Somdev, Yuki, Bopanna and Myneni," said Dhurpar in a statement.

All the six members of the Asian Games team were discussed, but the committee members decided to go for Somdev, Yuki, Bopanna and Myneni leaving out Sanam Singh. Sanam, who was a part of the last Davis Cup tie against South Korea, was preferred in the Asian Games team ahead of some higher ranked players on account of being a former gold medallist.