Indonesia’s non-playing captain, Hendri-Susilo Pramono, reckons his team can pull off an upset win against India in their Davis Cup encounter, as the host will feel the pressure of playing a relegation tie.
“With this being a relegation tie, it could play on the minds of the Indians,” Pramono said here on Tuesday, indicating that the host will be wary of slipping any further in the competition.
The Asia-Oceania (Group I) relegation tie, which begins here at KSLTA Stadium on Friday, marks the return of India’s best singles players, Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri.
Both players missed the tie against South Korea earlier this year (India lost 1-4).
Pramono, however, stated that the Indonesians are not worried about the disparity in rankings between the sides.
“India is now fielding a full-strength squad, but we are not worried. My message to the team is simple: Don’t get overawed; just give it your best shot.”
The Indonesians, led by Christopher Rungkat (the World no. 250), had its first practice session on Tuesday.
Bhambri, meanwhile, expressed confidence that the team would put it across Indonesia.
“The tie being held at home is an advantage. Also, the team is stronger now with the return of Somdev (Devvarman). Leander (Paes) has been performing consistently for the last 20 years, so we can count on him to deliver. And with Somdev in good form this year, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t win this tie,” Bhambri said.
The 20-year-old, who is India’s second-best singles player after Devvarman, stated that he is keen to play the doubles fixture as well.
“It depends on what the result is on the first day, but given a chance, I would love to play doubles.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing doubles, and I play it whenever I get a chance to do so on the Tour,” Bhambri said.
