This Thursday the outsiders from India made a really strong-willed decision. 

They chose Sumita Nagala instead of Ramkumar Ramanathan in the Davis Cup qualifiers against Croatia, which kicks off on Friday.

The lack of top players in the Borna Coric rankings means the Indians can go beyond their second singles player, Borna Gojo, who has yet to win the Davis Cup match.

Moreover, it is quite possible to win two points from Gojo, given that he is ranked 277 in the ATP rankings, which is below all three Indian singles.

Nagal, the best player in India, along with Ramumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh is able to defeat Borno Gojo. However, the results may not be encouraging at all, as the players have not yet competed with him.

Rohit Rajpal, explaining this unexpected decision, said that the conditions of the game required Ramkumar to play instead of Nagal.

“The court has an average pace and low rebound. This is more suited to Ramkumar as Sumit fails to grab him with the top spin from the back of the court,”

Rajpal told PTI.

“It’s important to earn one point on opening day, so we made Prajnesh our number one player instead of Sumit. This is a strategy created in the interests of the team and the nation,”

he explained.

He also noted that even though Ramkumar is taller and seems to have a hard time dealing with a low rebound, he is more appropriate given the all-around conditions with elements of chip and attack, serve and volley.

Rajpal also noted that it was the decision of the whole team, and coach Zishan Ali discussed all the older players.

Prajnesh, who missed the last draw due to his marriage, shared his opinion that the absence of a strong second player in singles on the opponent’s side could be in India’s favour.