Simit nagit. (Image: Agencies) BENGALURU: India’s non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal is keeping his fingers crossed on Sumit Nagal’s availability for the Davis Cup qualifier 1st round tie against Netherlands starting here on Saturday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!India’s top singles player felt hip strain while playing Japan’s Rio Noguchi at the ATP Challenger 75 in Nonthaburi, Thailand last month. Nagal retired in the first set of the match in the round of 16 and returned to India to undergo rehabilitation.Currently ranked 281st in the world, Nagal will start training on the court here from Tuesday. Other team members including Dhakshineswar Suresh and Yuki Bhambri are expected to join him. Karan Singh and Rithvik Bollipalli have already started training under Rajpal’s watchful eye. “We are certainly concerned about his injury. The physios are working hard on him and we are keeping our fingers crossed for him,” Rajpal said.Nagal also battled illness and a back injury during the first half of 2025.“He’s been in rehab for the last couple of weeks and we’re building him up. We’re happy with his progress. He trained twice on the court in Delhi. We’ll start putting him under pressure from Tuesday — in sets and in match situations. That’s when we’ll really know,” Rajpal added.
