Tags:
Journalism of Courage
One topic that will undoubtedly be at the back of the minds of those playing the game is: Who will make up the Davis Cup team in the absence of Leander Paes? There is no denying that the tie against Sweden would be a golden opportunity for any of our second string. It would be interesting to see where the boys stand, not so much to see how they fare, but more to see how they handle a Davis Cup situation where they do not have to deal with thepressure of expectations.
Even the most optimistic of supporters would be hard-pressed to predict anIndian win over the Swedes, who have around eight people in the top 100 ofthe world. We have none. And to ask the youngsters to produce theimpossible on clay, a surface the Swedes are supremely confident on, wouldbe silly, to put it mildly.
Therefore, what the Indian tennis bosses would probably be looking at, ishow those who play deal with a Davis Cup situation minus Leander andMahesh. (If Mahesh plays, it will be restricted to doubles, despite the news about him playing Wimbledon singles).
The last few ties have always seen, if not both, either Leander or Mahesh being part of the team, leading from the front. The onus of putting up a decent display would now be on players who haven’t really been called upon to take charge.
It of course, would also be a litmus test for Ramesh Krishnan as non-playingcaptain — he would have to keep the players motivated — particularly whenthey are battling against tremendous odds to put on their best showingand, keep himself inspired too.
After all, it would be difficult for a man leading the team to marshal his resources when he would have little expectation of their pulling off a win, whether he admits it or not. Ramesh has already said, "Things look very tough", which, coming from a master of understatement, speaks volumes.
Now coming to the protagonists themselves, there are quite a few who couldbe given an opportunity to take centrestage. Syed Fazaluddin and PrahladSrinath are naturally the first names that come to mind, given their Davis Cup exposure and big-match experience. They are probably, also the best in the country behind Leander and Mahesh, whatever their critics may carp about.
Then, if Sandeep Kirtane is fit, he is always an option — he is intenseabout his game, committed and a thinking player. But again, if the youngerbrigade is to be given a chance, then this may just be the time to throw thelatter into the deep end. The other main options will probably revolve around Vijay Kannan, Vinod Sridhar, Vishal Uppal and Mustafa Ghouse, with Harsh Mankad and Ajay Ramaswamy, both at school in the US, but down for the Satellite circuit, as other alternatives.
It is perhaps too early to pick out Ramaswamy as an option, still, his getting to the semifinals on Bangalore’s clay last week is good to see. Meanwhile, Vishal has proved himself an enthusiastic partner for Paes in the last tie against Korea on Delhi’s grasscourts and it would be interesting to see how he handles himself on clay (grass, he has said, is his favourite surface).
Second, he would be without Leander, with whom he shares a specialrapport. Third, the tie is an away one and the Indians are known to derivetremendous inspiration from crowd support. Finally of course, Sweden is ateam that is infinitely more experienced than Korea. All this will make adifference and probably, be an absorbing experience.
