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India and Pakistan are all set to be up against each other In the Davis Cup World Group I playoffs, starting February 3 at the Islamabad Sports Complex.
It is the second time India are traveling to Pakistan for their Davis Cup match after a gap of 60 years. Back in 1964, India beat Pakistan 4-0 in Lahore.
Recently, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued visas to the Indian contingent to travel to Pakistan. Had India not agreed to play in their neighboring country, Pakistan would have received full points with the tie being forfeited.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) had denied requests to shift the Davis Cup match to a neutral venue. In 2019, the Davis Cup clash between India and Pakistan took place at a neutral venue in Kazakhstan.
India will be captained by Zeeshan Ali, their coach. Sumit Nagal, who recently played in the Australian Open 2024 second round after beating Alexander Bublik in the main draw, is not a part of the Indian contingent.
24 teams are taking part in the World Group I playoffs, out of which 12 teams will lock horns with the losers of the World Cup 1 Qualifiers. Italy are the defending Davis Cup champions after beating Australia in the final in the last edition. Spain and Great Britain, meanwhile, have received wildcards for the tournament.
Schedule
February 3
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi vs Ramkumar Ramanathan (11:30 AM IST)
Aqeel Khan vs Sriram Balaji (starts after the singles match)
February 4
Muzammil Murtaza/Barkatullah vs Yuki Bhambri/Saketh Myneni (11:30 AM onwards)
Aqeel Khan vs Ramkumar Ramanathan (starts after the doubles match)
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi vs Sriram Balaji (starts after the singles match)
Head-to-Head
India have won all their seven matches against Pakistan. In their previous meeting at Nur-Sultan back in 2019, India beat Pakistan 4-0.
India squad
Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha, Saketh Myneni, Digvijay SD Prajwal Dev (reserve)
Where to watch
Sony Sports Network will telecast the Davis Cup matches in India. Live Streaming of the matches will be available on the Sony LIV app.
