AITA Says India's Davis Cup Tie Against Pakistan In November In Islamabad Subject To Security Review
The tie was earlier scheduled to be held in Islamabad on September 14-15 but was postponed to November after an in-depth security review by the International Tennis Federation last month.
The tie is scheduled for September 14 and 15 in the Pakistani capital and the federation had begun the process to procure visas for the players.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan will lead the singles challenge while Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan will make the doubles pair for the grass court tie.
India last played Pakistan in the Davis Cup in 2006 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Indian team last visited Pakistan in March 1964 and defeated the hosts by 4-0 in Lahore.
No Indian Davis Cup squad have travelled to Pakistan since March 1964.
Andreas Seppi guided Italy into the first finals of the revamped Davis Cup after beating India 3-1 in the world group qualifier.
Italy took a 2-0 lead in the second rubber of the Davis Cup World Group qualifier tie.
The venue boasts of an impressive 8-2 win-loss record for India, including the solitary victory over Italy in the 1985's World Group 1st Round.
Mahesh Bhupathi had earlier said that this will be India's best chance to beat Italy in the qualifiers.
Yuki Bhambri pulled out of the competition after his knee injury flared up at the US Open.
Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan and Saketh Myneni were selected.
Ankita Raina became the second woman tennis player to win an Asian Games medal after Sania Mirza.
Leander Paes did not travel to Indonesia with the rest of the squad.
Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat the American team of Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-1 in just 63 minutes.
The Indo-French duo will face the third-seed pair of Austria's Oliver Marach and Croatia's Mate Pavic.
Leander Paes was tied on 42 wins with Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli but managed to surpass him with a gritty performance on Saturday in the Davis Cup match against China.
Leander Paes will aim to better former Italian star Nicola Pietrangeli's record of 42 Davis Cup wins when the Indians take on the Chinese in Tianjin on April 6-7.
