Sunil Kumar in Davis Cup team

THRISSUR, JAN 15: Sixteen-year-old Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh is the new face in the Indian Davis Cup tennis team to play Lebanon at Luckno...

THRISSUR, JAN 15: Sixteen-year-old Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh is the new face in the Indian Davis Cup tennis team to play Lebanon at Lucknow from February 4-6.

Announcing the team, selection committee chairman Shyam Minotra said many players were under consideration but age and future prospects demanded the inclusion of Sunil, who had won the Senior Hardcourt Nationals and several other titles while pressing his claims for selection.

The selection committee Minotra, Nandan Bal and Ramesh Krishnan non-playing captain and the office-bearers of the All India Lawn Tennis Association met here Saturday morning and finalised the Indian teams for the Federation Cup Asia-Oceania Zone at Osaka in April, World Youth under-16 Championship in Hiroshima from April 24 and World Junior under-14 Championship Asia Oceania in Jakarta from May 1.8220;Many players like Sandeep, Nitin Kirtane and Vishaal Uppal came up for consideration but looking towards future, we thought Sunil Kumar was outstanding. One, he is the National champion at 16.

And then he had fared creditably in team events like Asia Cup,8221; explained Minotra. 8220;He is our next hope,8221; he added. Apart from Leander Paes, Prahlad Srinath and Syed Fazaluddin are also in the team. National runner-up Mohammed Ghouse is the reserve.Minotra said the teams for the World Youth and junior championships contained only probables as there was sufficient time for the events. The three-member teams would be finalised in four weeks as there are many events for the juniors in between.

TEAMS

Davis Cup: Ramesh Krishnan non-playing captain, Leander Paes, Prahlad Srinath, Syed Fazaluddin, Sunil Kumar. Reserve: Mustafa Ghouse.

Federation Cup in Osaka from April 24: Nirupama Vaidyanathan, Manisha Malhotra, Uzma Khan, Sai Jayalakshmy. Reserve: Rushmi Chakravarthi.

World Youth under-16 in Hiroshima from April 24: from eight shortlisted: Boys: Amanjot Singh Chd, Rohan Gajjar Mah, Jaco T Mathew TN, Anand Kumar Hyd, Dhrub Kumar WB, Arun Prakash TN, Devinder Singh Bhusari Guj, Vikrant Sane Mah. Three to be selected.

Girls: Megha Vakaria Mah, Isha Lakhani Mah, Samrita Sekhar TN, C Nandita TN, Sania Mirza AP, Preethi Rao TN.

World junior under-14 in Jakarta: Boys: Karan Rastogi Mah, Tushar Liberhan Chd, Divij Sharan Del, A S Sidhu Chd, R Vasudevan TN, D Rohit Raju Del. Girls: Sania Mirza AP, Ankita Bhambri Del, Sanaa Bhambri Del, Sharanya Pattabhi TN, Kartiki Bhat Mah, Sandri Gayatri AP.