E-Paper
AITA set to replace Anand Amritraj as India’s Davis Cup captain
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is all set to replace Anand Amritraj as India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is all set to replace Anand Amritraj as India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain. While Amritraj has found support from the players, the national association believes under his watch there was indiscipline in the squad. If sources are to be believed, Amritraj will be replaced by a former Davis Cup captain. An official announcement will be made this Thursday.
Amritraj’s contract expires this month. He was appointed three years ago. AITA secretary general Hironmoy Chatterjee said that the federation will officially announce the decision on Thursday. “Right now am not telling anything who is the next person. The federation will inform the media,” he said. Sources added that the decision has already been taken while the Thursday meeting is a mere formality.
It is learnt that during Amritraj’s tenure, the players were accompanied by their girlfriends in Chandigarh and Bengaluru, and enjoyed partying after the matches. Since disciplinary issue cropped up in the camp, the national body wasn’t satisfied the way Amritraj functioned.
When India play New Zealand in Pune from February 3-5, AITA doesn’t want Amritraj to be with the team.
Besides disciplinary issues, Amritraj had also openly criticised the federation’s evening scheduling of India’s Davis Cup matches against Spain in September. Amritraj later back tracked, but the controversy it set off, didn’t go down well with the AITA.
Amritraj seems to have the backing of the top players, including Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman, but the federation doesn’t want to bow to the demands. It was in 2013 that on the players’ insistence, Amritraj and Zeeshan Ali as the coach, were brought in, replacing SP Misra and Nandan Bal, respectively.
