Bengaluru, Feb 4 (PTI) India’s Davis Cup squad put in an intense and structured practice session here on Wednesday with top singles player Sumit Nagal gradually stepping up the intensity as it fine-tuned preparations ahead of the tie against the Netherlands. Nagal, who seemed to allay fitness concerns following a recent hip injury, began the session with Dhakshineswar Suresh. While Nagal appeared cautious with his lateral movement in the early exchanges, he steadily found rhythm from the baseline. Dhakshineswar impressed with the consistency and kick on his serves as Nagal focused on timing and controlled shot-making.
On the adjacent court, Karan Singh first hit with youngster Arnav Paparkar before switching partners to left-handed Anirudh Chandrasekar. Karan stood out during the drills, striking the ball cleanly and with authority off both wings.
The session later saw doubles specialist N Sriram Balaji join Chandrasekar, with the pair playing out a practice set against Yuki Bhambri and Dhakshineswar. The set provided a useful hit-out for all four players, with sharp reflexes at the net and serve-return patterns clearly being tested as the team looks to firm up its doubles combinations.
Rithvik Bollipalli missed the evening session. Balaji looked very sharp and it will not be surprise if captain gives him a look in for the tie.
Towards the end of the session, Nagal had an extended hitting stint, this time going full throttle. The country’s No. 1 let loose with smooth, penetrating forehands and backhands, showing encouraging signs of match readiness as he increased both pace and depth.
The Indian team has been training in Bengaluru for several days, focusing on adapting to local conditions and sharpening match-specific routines ahead of the Davis Cup encounter scheduled later this week.
Skipper Rohit Rajpal was pleased with the way Nagal and the team is shaping up for the tie against the Netherlands, starting Saturday.
“I am happy with Sumit’s progress. He is getting sharper by the day. We made him do drills, play points and tie-breakers to make him match sharp,” Rajpal told PTI after the session.
“Bringing players here early has worked for us. They started adapting in a relaxed and natural way, rather than forced adaptation for lack of time. We are trying different combinations so that players get to play different styles. We have Anirudh here, being a lefty he is helping us prepare for Dutch left-right combination,” he added. PTI APS APS KHS KHS
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