The captain and I had discussed about Saketh Myneni partnering Rohan Bopanna even before the draw ceremony, says Sriram Balaji

Initially, Sriram Balaji's name was decided to be paired with Rohan Bopanna for the Davis Cup doubles event. The decision had been criticised by a few who felt that Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Purav Raja would have been more suited for the role.

However, Indian captain Bhupathi had assured that Balaji would have been the most appropriate choice for the event as he has a good understanding with Bopanna. As Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran failed to accomplish any victory on the opening day of the tournament, there was a surprise in store for India when Bhupathi paired Saketh Myneni with Bopanna for the doubles event.

The move, however, could not bear any positive results for India as Myneni was not able to establish himself after a long-term injury. Balaji has revealed that he was already informed about the move even before the draw ceremony. He also backed up Myneni after his performance in the Davis Cup.

“The captain (Bhupathi) and I spoke about Saketh partnering Bopanna even before the draw ceremony. But just to keep the Serbians confused, we put my name first and then changed it on the day of the match," Balaji told TOI.

"We all have off days as players. No one can play at their best every day. Saki too had such a day on Saturday. But I am sure he will bounce back from it because he is a great player.”