Davis Cup: India turn the page on Sriram Balaji

PUNE: With the future in mind, Sriram Balaji suffered the axe while Karan Singh got in ahead of Aryan Shah as India named its squad for the Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 1 tie against the Netherlands in Bengaluru in Feb.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sumit Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh, who powered India to a 3-1 win against Switzerland in the World Group 1 tie in September, will be the singles spearhead while Yuki Bhambri, the country’s leading doubles player with a world ranking of 21, will pair with Rithvik Choudary (90) in the doubles. Following an injury to Bhambri, 35-year-old Balaji had partnered Rithvik in the doubles rubber against Switzerland’s Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker. “Sumit, DK (Dhakshineswar) and Yuki pick themselves. Despite his low ranking, DK is clearly our No. 2. He is on par with Sumit,” said national selection committee chairman Nandan Bal. “For the third (singles) spot, there is not much difference between Karan (world ranked 471) and Aryan (403). We had to keep in mind the current form and the altitude (of Bengaluru). Karan had beaten Aryan in a Challenger in Australia recently and has a bigger game.”India Squad: