India vs Pakistan Davis Cup: AITA gets government's in-principle approval
NEW DELHI: The central government has given in-principle approval for the Indian Davis Cup team to travel to Pakistan later this year. The two-day, three-match tie, to be held in Islamabad in September, will decide which team will qualify for the Davis Cup qualifiers slated for early next year.
An All India Tennis Association (AITA) official confirmed this on the condition of anonymity. “I have heard that (permission to apply for visas to play the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I tie), yes.” The process for applying for visas, though, will only start after the AITA pick the squad and support staff.
That process, though, may not start for at least a week as the official explained. “There is going to be an AITA meeting next week and a few decisions could be taken there.” Those decisions could pertain to the identity of the support staff — including the captain and coach — making the trip to Islamabad.
On paper, Mahesh Bhupathi and Zeeshan Ali are the captain and coach respectively but the home tie against Italy in February was supposed to be their last with the team as their contracts were expiring. Even then, players’ visas forms can only be done after the AITA selection committee meeting is convened.