Shalni Thakur ready for the hot seat in Billie Jean King Cup

Captain of the Indian team for Billie Jean King Cup, Shalini Thakur Chawla.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The newly appointed captain of the Indian team, Shalini Thakur Chawla, is confident that Ankita Raina and company will put up a good fare in the Asia-Oceania group-1 tennis tournament to be played in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from April 11 to 15.

The team is set to assemble in Tashkent on April 6, while Ankita and Rutuja Bhosale are set to join a day later.

Shalini was the coach of the team last year and had served earlier for three years between 2011 and 2015.

“It is an added responsibility, but not much of a difference from being coach to captain,” said Shalini, who runs a tennis centre in the Capital along with her brother, former national champion Ashutosh Singh.

“We have a good team. Our girls are sharp, strong and competitive. Ankita Raina is having a fine run, including this week in Jakarta. Rutuja made the semifinals of the $40,000 event in Bengaluru. Karman Kaur Thandi has been playing on and off. She is training and preparing,” said Shalini.

The team has two new playersin Vaidehi Chaudhari and Sahaja Yamalapalli.

“Both Sahaja and Vaidehi have been playing very well. They are hungry, competitive and ready to perform,” said Shalini.

With Radhika Tulpule Kanitkar as the coach, and Ajeeta Goel as the physio, it will be an all-women team for the first time.

“It is great that the AITA has shown confidence in us, in selecting such a team,” said Shaini.

With two teams qualifying for the World Group play-off and two teams being relegated to group-2, it is indeed a challenge for India, when it competes in a round-robin league format against China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan.