Kolkata: Senior players Rohan Bopanna and Prajnesh Gunneswaran backed Thursday an extension for non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi, whose contract renewal hinges on the team’s performance on the Davis Cup tie against Italy starting Friday here at the South Club.
Bhupathi had replaced Anand Amritraj as captain in April 2017 and his term will come to an end with the Italy tie. A senior AITA official had told this agency that parent body is unlikely to give Bhupathi an extension.
However his one-time doubles partner Bopanna spoke glowingly about what Bhupathi brings to the table.
“He brings in a lot more communication with the players not only just during the Davis Cup tie but throughout the entire year. That makes the big difference,” Bopanna said.
“Even though you don’t meet him so often but the communication you constantly have brings in a bigger camaraderie when you come into the Davis Cup tie,” the 2017 French Open mixed doubles champion added.
Bopanna, who made his Davis Cup debut in 2002, recollected meeting him for the first time in 1997. “When I first met him and till today, he’s much senior to me. No matter which tournament I played, wherever it was, he always gave that advice which was required and for a player to grow,” the Coorgi informed.
Under Bhupathi, the team twice reached the World Group play-off stage, the maximum where it could go with the current set of players, according to the experts.
India lost to Canada (September 2017) and Serbia (September 2018) in away World Group play-off ties. Apart from Uzbekistan at home, the Indian team also beat China in an away tie in April 2018.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran is currently the No.1 ranked among India’s singles players and he too wants Bhupathi to continue. “He’s an invaluable addition to the team. The fact is he’s played at a very high level for a long time and all of us are better off taking his advice,” Prajnesh, who is on a career high rank of No. 102, said. “He knows how to help us deal with all the things that come with Davis Cup. I’m very happy that he’s here with us.”
India’s No.2 player Ramkumar Ramanathan said all the members of the team have a lot of respect for Bhupathi. “Having him sitting by our side, puts any team under a lot of pressure. It’s good to have him,” Ramanathan stated.
PTI
