NEW DELHI: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Monday included rising stars Vaidehi Chaudhary and Sahaja Yamlapalli in India's Billie Jean King Cup squad for the upcoming Asia Oceania Group I competition.
The five-member team also has Ankita Raina and Karman Kaur Thandi in the form of seniors along with Rutuja Bhosale.
The action in Asia Oceania Group I will begin in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 10.
Vaidehi was rewarded for her good form as the 23-year-old had recently won her second ITF women's singles title in Gurugram after beating compatriot Sandeepti Singh.
Vaidehi, ranked 492, had won her maiden ITF title in Gwalior recently and then also reached the final in Jhajjar, where she had lost to Serbia's Tamara Curovic.
Sahaja, who is the fourth-highest ranked player from India at number 454, also made it to the squad.
Rutuja has kept her place (419) in the squad even as Riya Bhatia has been dropped by the selection panel, led by Nandan Bal.
"We wanted to reward the youngsters for their good form and 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 up the atmosphere and pressure," he added.
Surprisingly, the AITA has replaced Vishal Uppal as captain and Shalini Thakur Chawla, who was the coach in the previous tie, has taken his place.
Radhika Kanitkar is the new coach of the side while Ajeeta Goel is the physio in an all-woman support staff.
Asked why Uppal has been replaced as captain, Bal said, "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 ChawlaCoach: Radhika Kanitkar.(With inputs from PTI)
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