Losing a top player ahead of the Davis Cup tie is a burden for any team and Russia might feel the pinch too.

By Bhagya L Ayyavoo

Underdogs by a long margin, India are now breathing easy after news emerged that the world No.6 Russian Nikolay Davydenko has pulled out of the first-round World Group tie of the Davis Cup tournament due to a wrist injury.

The news has kept the visiting Indian squad in high spirits. India’s top singles player Somdev Devvarman senses half a chance when the teams clash on Friday. “He's their best player. Even though we still have a tough task ahead of us we definitely feel a lot more confident about our chances now,” Somdev told espnstar.com

It has been 13 years since India last appeared in the quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament. A historic victory in the away play-off tie against South Africa, powered by the nation’s young guns Somdev and Rohan Bopanna put India in the World Group after 11 years, since their last appearance in 1998.

Chasing a 13 year-old history

It was in 1996 that India beat the Netherlands 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals, but that was a home tie. To repeat that feat, 11th-ranked India, who have featured in three Davis Cup finals, will have to beat two-time champions Russia and that too in their own backyard. There is some consolation in the fact that it’s not the same team that triumphed in 2002 and 2006, but when it’s Russia, the third-ranked team in the world, there’s no doubting their powerhouse status!

No Marat Safin, who has been the face of the Russian team in the last decade. And no Davydenko, but leading their charge will be the in-form Mikhail Youzhny. The Russian No.2 who is currently ranked No.13 in the world, finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the recently concluded Dubai Championships. There’s Igor Andreev, No.38 on the charts, who is the likely replacement for Davydenko. Igor Kunitsyn (No.107), Teimuraz Gabashvili (No.109) and Dmitry Tursunov (No.111) are all in good form for the Russians.

At the other end, is Somdev- India’s top singles player is back in the 120s on the ATP rankings chart. The world No.128 is fresh from a pre-quarterfinal show at the Dubai Championships when he beat world No.52 Swiss Marco Chudinelli.

The team would want him to the same solid deliver in Moscow. The 25-year-old is pleased with things so far, “It's been going well. We're getting adjusted to the indoor courts here (in Moscow) quite well and all of us seem to be playing good tennis so far.”

Unlike the Russian line-up, India do not have a lot of options. Rohan Bopanna (ranked No.416) is the second singles player. Bopanna has a doubles title (in Zagreb) to his name this season. But, what will count here is his singles performance. If Bofors fires well, with respect to his serves, he may very well be the surprise package in the tie.

Team India has never played Russia in Davis Cup. However the men-in-blue have a 2-1 record against the erstwhile Soviet Union. The last time both teams met, the result ended in India’s favour in 1986 in the World Group, Relegation Play-off first-round tie.

India - oldest team in World Group

Going into the tie, India already have a distinction for fielding the oldest team. The men-in-blue have a combined age of 126, which is 32 years more than the country that’s boasting of the youngest team this weekend- Argentina.

But, with that comes the experience of two of the most successful doubles players on the tour - Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. The two have 11 Grand Slams team titles each. And, with a 23-2 record in Davis Cup doubles, it is tough to look beyond the Lee-Hesh combination. The only concern will be Bhupathi’s 2-4 win-loss numbers this season, that has denied him match fitness, after being sidelined with injury.

So, rightly Somdev points out that the doubles result will be one that will make or break this tie, “We're going into the tie banking on the doubles point. So I feel like if Rohan or I could come up with a win or two on the first day, we would be in a very good situation. But who knows, I wouldn’t put anything past us. We're both capable of coming up with good stuff so I'm excited about the tie.”