Ankita Raina to lead Team Indian at Billie Jean King Cup
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Vaidehi Chaudhary received recognition for her recent success on Monday when she was selected for the Indian Billie Jean King Cup team for the forthcoming Asia Oceania Group I competition, which will be led by seniors Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi.
After defeating her countrywoman Sandeepti Singh, the 23-year-old Chaudhary recently won her second ITF women's singles championship in Gurugram. The 492-ranked Chaudhary recently won her first ITF championship in Gwalior and advanced to the final in Jhajjar, where she lost to Tamara Curovic of Serbia.
Sahaja Yamlapalli, the fourth-ranked player from India and number 454 overall, is also included in the five-person squad. The selection committee, headed by Nandan Bal, dismissed Riya Bhatiya, while Rutuja Bhosale preserved her spot (419) on the team.
Beginning on April 10, Tashkent, Uzbekistan will host the action in Asia Oceania Group I.
"We wanted to reward the youngsters for their good form that's why Vaidehi and Sahaja are there. The good thing is that all five players are almost at the same level. Vaidehi has even beaten Ankita. So in case there is an injury issue, we have an ideal replacement," Nandan Bal told PTI.
"Players like Vaidehi and Sahaja should be able to push the senior players in a couple of years, if not immediately. So they should be in the team to soak the atmosphere and pressure," he added.
Unexpectedly, Shalini Thakur Chawla, who served as the coach during the last match, has assumed Vishal Uppal's place as captain.
The team's new coach is Radhika Kanitkar, while the physiotherapist on the all-female support staff is Ajeeta Goel.
When asked the reason Uppal was demoted to captain, Bal responded, "We were mandated to pick only the players and not the support staff. Only AITA can answer that."
India's Squad: Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Rutuja Bhosale, Sahaja Yamlapalli and Vaidehi Chaudhary. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (Reserve)
Captain: Shalini Thakur Chawla
Coach: Radhika Kanitkar.
