Davis Cup Selection: Deserving Break For Uppal

The big break has at last come Vishal Uppal's way. The lanky Delhiite who has been knocking on the doors of the All India Tennis Association selection committeee for quite some time has been drafted into the Davis Cup squad which plays South Korea in the Asia-Oceania tie here from April 7 to 9.

Uppal comes into the squad in place of National hardcourt champion Sunil Kumar, who was chosen for the tie against Lebanon held at Lucknow in February but did not play. With Mahesh Bhupathi not yet fully fit after his shoulder surgery, it was imperative the selection committee named a squad where there were more options available for non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan.

 

There is no doubt that for playing on grass one needs the right technique and approach. Uppal has both, as his performances on the natural surface suggest.

Uppal may not have made it to the grasscourt National final in Calcutta like Vijay Kannan, but certainly showed in a clutch of international tournaments played at home (Satellites and Challengers) that he is a player who posesses the basic skill of serving and volleying.

There is a school of thought which thinks picking Sunil Kumar for one tie and dumping him for the next, two months later, is a bit harsh. But the fact is, the talented left-hander still has a long way to go before he can be thought of as Davis Cup material -- at least on grass.

Having won the hardcourt Nationals was a big step for Sunil, but his decision to skip the grasscourt Nationals held a fortnight back was not the right one.

The boy is now under the wings of Paes en Sport. Whoever advised Sunil to 'train' in Calcutta and not play the Nationals, it was a bad decision. One cannot shy away from competition. The youngster has certainly not done it by his own volition, and the men guiding the bundle of talent would do well to expose him to as much competition available at home.

After all, it was on the advice of Ramesh Krishnan that Syed Fazaluddin played the Calcutta Nationals and won it. He did not need to play it, but by taking part has proved his point.

Officially, the chairman of the selection committee Shyam Minotra wants us to believe that since Sunil is playing the ITF juniors circuit it is not right to disturb him. Sunil is at a stage where he needs a mixture of junior and senior tournaments.

There is no need for him to feel he has been dropped since the player coming in has better credentials on a surface which has vanished the world over.

Today, Uppal stands a good chance of even playing against Korea. I cannot say the same about Sunil, whom we included for the tie against Lebanon to encourage him.

Even Ramesh was happy with the workouts of Uppal in Lucknow when he was there as practice partner, added Minotra.

Naming Vijay Kannan, the National grasscourt runner-up as reserve player also is the right choice. For someone going through a phase of one defeat after another in 1998, the sudden burst to a National final needed to be recognised. Kannan is from Chennai, where there is no grass court.

Delhi's RK Khanna Stadium is holding a Cup tie after almost a three-year gap. The last tie held here was against Chile when India won 3-2 on the last day due to Mahesh Bhupathi's last rubber heroic effort.

The squad: Leander Paes, Prahlad Srinath, Syed Fazaluddin and Vishal Uppal.

Non-playing captain: Ramesh Krishnan.