Manas Dhamne gets maiden Davis Cup call-up

Manas Dhamne on Monday earned his first call-up to India’s main Davis Cup squad, while team management has retained the core that produced win over the Netherlands for the crucial Qualifiers Round 2 tie against South Korea in Seoul on September 18-19.

World number 362 and country’s number two singles player Dhamne has been knocking on doors of the senior team. He joins India’s singles group comprising seasoned campaigner Sumit Nagal (ranked 235) and Dhakshineswar Suresh (ranked 393), the breakout star of the previous tie in Bengaluru.

Yuki Bhambri (Ranked 28) and N Sriram Balaji (Ranked 57) form the doubles combination.

Sidharth Rawat (536) and promisning youngster Arnav Paparkar, who has been competing in junior Grand Slams, have been named as the two reserves.

“Most players selected themselves. Manas was not available for the previous tie, this time he was. While he is in the main squad, the captain will decide if he suits the conditions or the other singles players. Arnav is in side as we need to groom the future generation,” a selection committee member told PTI.

The selection reflects continuity after India’s remarkable 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in Bengaluru in February, which took the country into the second round of the Qualifiers for the first time since the Davis Cup format was revamped in 2019.