Rajapl feels the training sessions will give a good indication of Nagal’s fitness level.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
India will hope that Sumit Nagal recovers from his injury in time to spearhead the team’s challenge in the Davis Cup qualifiers first round tie against the Netherlands here this weekend.
Nagal (World No. 281), the top-ranked Indian singles player, retired in the first set of his last Tour match — a round-of-16 clash in the Nonthaburi Challenger (Thailand) last month.
India captain Rohit Rajpal stated that Nagal suffered a “little strain on the hip”, and that a call will be taken on his availability closer to the tie.
Nagal is expected to train at the KSLTA Stadium here on Tuesday, which will give a good indication of his fitness level.
“We will test him Tuesday onwards, where we will start to put pressure. This means that we will put him in sets, put him in points. That’s when you really know,” Rajpal said here on Monday.
“Nagal has been in rehab for the last couple of weeks. We are slowly building him up. He has gotten on court in Delhi twice. His recovery work and strength work look good. We have a physio working with him. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” Rajpal said.
Rajpal added that the team, which counts Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh as the primary singles combatants, is ready with alternate game plans in the event of Nagal’s absence.
“We always work on game plan one, two and three. Our guys are playing a lot of sets.
“We will see who is sharp, and accordingly, we will be ready”.
Published – February 02, 2026 07:49 pm IST
