Selectors need to decide which way to go: AITA secretary Bharat Oza

AITA secretary Bharat Oza on Monday made it clear that the national selection committee needs to take a call on whether they would like to ‘go backwards’ after veterans Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes announced their availability for the Davis Cup tie at home against Serbia.

‘Our selection committee including captain (Anand Amritraj) and coach (Zeeshan Ali) would decide on whether we need to go backwards or keep faith in the youngsters who did well against South Korea,’ Oza said on Monday.

Oza also said AITA would decide on the team composition for the September 12-14 home tie against Serbia in July. ‘The current lot of players prefer the hard courts and not grass as was the case with earlier players. The tie would most likely be held on hard courts,’ said Oza. 

His reply was in reference to Paes’ declaration that he is willing to be part of the squad as a player or captain or to help out the team if called upon by AITA. Earlier, Paes had announced that he was unavailable for national duty in 2014.

‘If there is a need for me, I will. If need be to play or captain or help out, I’m still very open about it,’ he was quoted of having said. His one-time partner Mahesh had told reporters during a promotional event here that he was always available to play for the country, having earlier said he was set to retire after this year’s Wimbledon Championships in June-July.

‘I am always available. I know the captain’s talk about the same just like coach has brought it up. I think it is important because the doubles will be pivotal in that match, so let’s see how things pan out,’ Bhupathi had said last week. India defeated Korea 3-1 earlier this month to make the Davis Cup play-off grade. 

Meanwhile, the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academies (MBTA) on Monday said it will conduct a camp at the academy in Mysore from April 16-30. The camp will comprise training regimes aimed at teaching and improving the finer aspects of an individual’s game, strengthening the base and developing their skills further. The 15-day camp is open to all and will cost Rs.1,500 per head, said an MBTA release.