BENGALURU: The faster playing conditions in Bengaluru are expected to suit Dhakshineswar Suresh more than India's top singles player Sumit Nagal as the hosts take on the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifier round one tie, starting Saturday.
With Nagal returning from a minor hip injury, India are likely to lean heavily on Dhakshineswar's ability to exploit the quicker surface, particularly in the opening singles.
The conditions reward first-strike tennis and aggressive shot-making, an area where Dhakshineswar has shown he can thrive under pressure.
Nagal has been recovering well and has looked increasingly comfortable in practice, but questions remain over how his body will respond once the tie moves into high-intensity match play.
The physical demands of singles at altitude, coupled with the speed of the court, could test Nagal's movement and endurance, especially if matches stretch into long rallies. He is, though, used to the conditions having recently played during the Bengaluru Open and WTL.
Dhakshineswar's role could therefore be pivotal once again, much like in Switzerland last year when he rose to the occasion to win crucial singles matches in India's historic away victory.
He had set the tone by winning the opening rubber, allowing Nagal to settle into the tie, where the latter went on to win both his singles.
The Netherlands, too, are expected to find the faster conditions to their liking, with their players more accustomed to such surfaces.
However, the visitors have been weakened by the absence of their top two singles players -- Tallon Griekspoor (world No.29) and Botic van de Zandschulp (world No.67) -- which has somewhat evened out the contest.
Even the Indian camp believes that the withdrawal of top Dutch players has turned it into an interesting battle where the home team will believe it has chances for a second consecutive upset win in Davis Cup.
The Dutch will be led by world No.88 Jesper de Jong, who has been steadily climbing the rankings.
De Jong has already recorded significant wins over top-30 players, including Jakub Mensik (world No.16), compatriot Griekspoor and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (world No.26), and will pose the biggest singles challenge for India.
India will have to target Guy den Ouden, ranked 162, who will be making his Davis Cup debut.
Den Ouden has largely competed on the ITF and ATP Challenger circuits during the 2025 season and lacks experience at the highest level of international team competition.
For India, controlling the early momentum in singles will be crucial, particularly given Nagal's fitness concerns.
How effectively Dhakshineswar can capitalise on conditions in his favour may well determine the course of the tie.
India's doubles strength has been bolstered by the return of Yuki Bhambri, currently enjoying a career-best ranking of 20.
Bhambri's presence adds depth and experience to the doubles combination, offering India a strong chance to secure the crucial third rubber.
Bhambri will team up with N Sriram Balaji, who was not even picked in the squad initially. He replaces Rithvik Bollipalli. They will be up against Sandre Arends and David Pel.
"We just felt that Balaji has been playing back-to-back tournaments, he just played in Bahrain, had a very good result and came here. And Rithvik for that matter, he's playing very well. It was a difficult decision, but I think that he's not played actively in tournaments for the last month-and-a half, or two months," Rajpal said, explaining the decision.
"Balaji has been very sharp. We thought it would be better that instead of getting Rithvik into a tough pressure Davis Cup match, give him more time to gradually come back in," he added.
With surface conditions, player fitness and selection dynamics all in play, the two-day contest is expected to be closely fought as India look to make home advantage count against a depleted yet competitive Dutch side.
The defeated team will return to World Group I tie in September, while the winners will advance to the Qualifiers second Round and a step closer to the eight-team Finals.
Match Schedule: Saturday: Sumit Nagal vs Guy Den Ouden; Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Jesper de Jong Sunday: Yuki Bhambri/N Sriram Balaji vs Sandre Arends/David Pel; Sumit Nagal vs Jesper de Jong; Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Guy Den Ouden.