Team India will face a challenging time at the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tournament, scheduled from April 7–11, in New Delhi.
India are in the same group as New Zealand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Korea and Thailand. It presents India with both an opportunity and a reality check. Competing at home on hard courts, India will aim to leverage familiarity with the conditions, though the challenge remains steep against stronger Asian rivals.
India’s squad, consisting of Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Rutuja Bhosale, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Vaishnavi Adkar, reflects a mix of experience and emerging promise, but also highlights a key concern: none are currently ranked inside the world’s top 300 in singles.
Raina remains India’s spearhead. Her experience on the international circuit and strong doubles calibre make her indispensable.
"The team atmosphere is great and in our home conditions we will definitely get sime help," Raina said. "We are here to win... we are prepared. We will take it match by match, day by day. We do have a strong team. And if any of my teammates need any help, I can give the inputs. I've been in this position and have played many ties for India. I know how it feels out there."
Yamalapalli, the highest-ranked singles player in the squad, brings grit but her lack of exposure at elite levels could be tested under pressure. Bhosale complements the team with her doubles expertise.
Adkar did grab attention when she reached the W100 ITF final in Bengaluru recently, ending a 17-year wait for Indian women’s tennis at this level.
“All of us are working really hard… We have certain plans and strategies in mind and I'm sure we'll be good," Adkar said.
Asked if her recent success has raised hopes, she said: “Definitely. This year has been going pretty well for me… I even changed academies and shifted base to Bengaluru. Expectations are higher, but that’s a good thing.”
Bhamidipaty, too, represents the young generation.
The squad, under the guidance of captain Vishal Uppal, had a five-day conditioning camp in New Delhi.
Since Sania Mirza’s retirement, India’s strength in women’s tennis has been limited. But Uppal is hopeful. Asked how the current squad is gearing up, he said: “We may not currently have a superstar like Sania Mirza, but women’s tennis in India is
definitely improving. We’ve qualified for the World Group Playoffs twice in the last five
years of the Billie Jean King Cup, which we hadn’t achieved in the previous 42 years.
“That said, there is still a lot to be done. We need to tap into a wider pool of young talent, nurture them properly, and provide more international exposure to a larger group of players. It’s a long process, but things are moving in the right direction.
“For this tournament, we’ll be playing five countries over five consecutive days, so it’s going to be very challenging.”