Yuki Bhambri ruled out of India-Korea Davis Cup tie

SEOUL: India will be without their key doubles player Yuki Bhambri in their Davis Cup Qualifier against South Korea after the veteran was ruled out with a thigh injury, forcing the team to rethink its doubles combination days before the crucial contest.

The winner of this match will advance into the finals.

India captain Rohit Rajpal confirmed that Bhambri will not be available for the Round 2 tie.

"Yuki Bambri is not doing too well with his thigh and may not be available to play the Davis Cup. So, we are working on that area to see what our combination is going to be, which we shouldn't be doing actually during the week before the Davis Cup. But unfortunately, we are having to do that," Rajpal said.

Bhambri had suffered a right thigh strain before his US Open main-draw match and had subsequently been doubtful for the Korea tie.

His absence is a significant blow to India's doubles plans, with Rajpal having previously paired him with Dhakshineswar Suresh. The combination worked effectively during their previous Davis Cup outing against the Netherlands in Bengaluru.

"Last time I played Yuki and DK because Yuki's big strength is his return from ad-court. And that is the weakness for DK. And Yuki's serve is his weak point and DK has a huge serve. This opposite combination made them a very formidable pair," said Rajpal.

Bhambri's return skills helped take pressure off Suresh's service game, while the latter's powerful serve and volleying complemented the former's game.

"Yuki would do that. And DK being a big guy and a great volleyer would take the pressure off Yuki's serving. So, the combination worked very well last time for us," Rajpal said.

India have now been forced to experiment with different doubles combinations, with veteran N Sriram Balaji becoming the team's leading option after breaking into the world's top 50 in doubles.

"Bala is playing very, very well. He is going to be the anchor for doubles this time. And as you know, he has yesterday broken into the top 50 in doubles," Rajpal said.

India are also awaiting the arrival of Niki Poonacha, who is still waiting for his visa, while left-handed Anirudh Chandrasekar has flown in from New York.

"We're trying different combinations of doubles every day at the moment and we'll be ready," Rajpal said.

The captain added that the slow conditions in Seoul would also influence the doubles selection, particularly because of the workload Dhakshineswar may face in singles.

"Since the courts are slow, we don't know how tough matches are going to be in terms of the legs that is required for DK," he said.

"What I don't want (for) him is being compromised for the second day singles match. So, a lot will depend on the first day, what happens. Accordingly, we will strategise as to who will play the doubles."

Rajpal said the final doubles combination could therefore depend on how the opening day's singles matches unfold.