Davis Cup: India beat Pakistan, secure World Group I berth

Davis Cup: In Islamabad, doubles pair Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni gave India an unassailable lead before Niki Poonacha made it a 4-0 sweep

India secured their spot in World Group I of the Davis Cup by registering a comprehensive 4-0 win against Pakistan in Islamabad on Sunday.

In what was the Indian Davis Cup team’s first visit to Pakistan in 60 years, the tie proved one-sided. The doubles pair of Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead before Niki Poonacha, on debut, won his singles match in straight sets.Discover the thrill of cricket like never before, exclusively on HT.

On day one of the tie, India had taken a 2-0 lead thanks to Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji’s victories against Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan respectively. To begin day two, it was a must-win doubles match for Khan and Muzammil Murtaza but their Indian opponents remained clinical to seal a 6-2, 7-6(5) win.

Bhambri and Myneni broke Khan’s serve twice to cruise through the opening set but faced resistance in the second. Khan, who had replaced Barkat Ullah in the Pakistan side, and Murtaza managed to force a tie-breaker but the Indians showed composure despite trailing 2-4 at one stage to close out the match.

As far as Pakistan were concerned, Khan’s serve was a letdown as he double-faulted on match point as well. For India, Myneni served well and was also sharp at the net throughout while Bhambri showed his shot-making skills and fired a number of winners from the baseline.

With the tie in the bag, India sent out Poonacha for the fourth match and the 28-year-old didn’t disappoint in his first Davis Cup appearance. He beat Muhammad Shoaib 6-3, 6-4 before the fifth and final match was called off.

Poonacha was put under some pressure by Shoaib’s backhands but operated cleverly to dictate play for the most part. His serve remained a key weapon through the course of the contest as his opponent struggled with unforced errors.

“I think it was very important for Niki to play his first match today and he came out there and delivered what we expected from him,” Zeeshan Ali, captain of the Indian team, was quoted as saying by ANI.

“He now has the experience of what it feels like to play for India in the Davis Cup, which will help him in terms of selection as well. All these boys know that they need to keep performing on the circuit to improve their rankings.”

With this result, Pakistan will stay in World Group II while India will compete in Group I in September.

The Indian team adapted well to the tough conditions and the heavy security around them, not letting the restrictions on their movement have an adverse impact on them.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) did well in creating a safety net around the players, as several agencies worked in tandem to ensure that the historic tie went without any untoward incidents.

Bhambri and Myneni had a tight grip over the contest from the beginning. They broke Aqeel in the first and fifth games for a commanding 4-1 lead. In game one, Aqeel hit a backhand long and wide to be down two breakpoints.

While Myneni hit wide on first, he found and easy volley winner on Aqeel’s feeble return.

The Pakistani stalwart again dropped serve in game five, his overhead flat smash flying over the baseline at 30-all and Bhambri sent down a crushing forehand winner between the two players to close the game.

Murtaza went down by three set points in game seven but saved all as the two players finally got some rhythm.

Bhambri came out to serve the set and did with ease as Murtaza could not return a widish serve from the Indian on the first set point.

Aqeel finally began to hold his serve. The second set was 5-5 on serve. In between Murtaza saved three break chances in game five. It boiled down to a tie-breaker in which a few errors from the Indians got the Pakstanis ahead 4-2.

However, Bhambri and Myneni ensured that there was no twist in the tale. They quickly made it 5-5 as Aqeel and Murtaza lacked coordination.

Aqeel double faulted at match points.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/tennis/india-seal-place-in-world-group-i-take-unassailable-3-0-lead-against-pakistan-101707035987677.html and https://www.firstpost.com/sports/tennis-news/davis-cup-qualifier-india-vs-pakistan-13687752.html