Team India took a 2-0 lead against Pakistan on Day 1 of the Asia-Oceania Group 1 tie of the Davis Cup which was held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Friday. The 108th edition of the Davis Cup is a tournament that is held between national teams in men’s tennis.
IND vs PAK Davis Cup 2019
Players such as Ramkumar Ramanathan along with Sumit Nagal played their roles to their higher extent. Ramkumar, who is ranked 176 in the world, handed Muhammad Shoaib a double bagel in merely 42 minutes before Nagal, who is ranked 131 in the world, put down Huzaifa Abdul Rehman 6-0, 6-2 in an hour and four minutes.
Ramkumar also said in a statement, “I went out and tried to play my best every point. Playing the Davis Cup, playing for India, is always special. Tomorrow is doubles first, hopefully Jee (Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan) and Leander (Paes) will fire some bombs and get the job done,”
The 22-year-old Nagal also stated, “Both of us played well. We had a lot of fire today, both of us didn’t want to lose a game.”
India’s 2-0 lead against Pakistan
Previously, India also had a similar start, when they took the opening singles deprived of dropping a game, was when Ramanathan Krishnan defeated Senaka Kumara of Sri Lanka in Colombo in the year 1969.
For Nagal, the scoreline was a footnote in a critical chapter which further turned into a remarkable season. In addition to that a couple of seasons back, he was disliked by the national federation for his indiscipline.
He also stepped on the court on Friday as India’s No. 1 singles player. “The way I have played this year, I am not saying I deserve to be No. 1. But I have gained some spots in rankings,” he said.
“Being No. 1 or No. 2 doesn’t matter much to me, because my job is to represent my country, give them the best help I can, score a point. That’s the only reason I am here.” On the day before of the tie, speaking about the inexperienced challengers, Nagal had said: “Once you walk out on the court, it’s how you deal with yourself … I don’t think there is any time for mercy.”
That’s closely how it turned into on Saturday, even though Rehman, considered a player of some potential, refused to go down without any fight.
On the top of that, the 17-year-old also saved five out of the 10 breakpoints that he has faced, but at the same time, eight double faults proved to be his undoing. On the other hand, Nagal wouldn’t bother too much.
“Tomorrow, hopefully we will finish the tie over there (in doubles). If not, we are ready. I predict the score to be pretty much similar,” he stated.
