Bhupathi-Bopanna dropped from Davis Cup team

MASON, OH – AUGUST 17: Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna of India talk between points while playing Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland during the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2012 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

New Delhi, Aug 18 - The All India Tennis Association (AITA) Saturday decided to drop Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna from the Davis Cup team that will take on New Zealand Sep 14.

The decision was made in a meeting of the AITA selection committee under the chairmanship of Anil Dhupar.

The committee also had a telephonic conversation with S.P. Misra, the captain of the Indian Davis Cup team.

Bharat Ojha, secretary general of AITA, informed the committee that the AITA executive committee meeting had taken place July 1 and had decided not to consider Bhupathi and Bopanna for the selection of the Davis Cup team against New Zealand.

This view of the executive committee was endorsed by the president of AITA, Yashwant Sinha.

“Mahesh and Rohan were available but were not considered in view of the stand taken by them regarding the selection for the Olympics team,” Ojha told reporters.

“The Davis Cup team has been selected on the basis of our Olympic show. We are going with a young team keeping in mind the future.”

The chairman thereafter took the views of the selectors. He mentioned that Somdev Devvarman has not yet recovered fully from his operation and has expressed a desire to be left out of the current team and he has stated he would be available for the ties next year.

Leander Paes has also expressed a desire not to be considered for the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand.

Davis Cup squad:

Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan, Saketh Myneni, Divij Sharan, Sanam K Singh, Sriram Balaji Narayanaswamy