The Indian boys missed the chance to qualify for the World Group in Junior Davis Cup under-16 tennis tournament, but coach Sajid Lodi praised them for their effort and predicted a bright future for them.

Kriish Tyagi, Rethin Pranav and Aarjun Pandit were able to take India to the fifth spot behind Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan and Thailand, among 16 teams.

Japan was in India’s group. Rethin and Kriish went down fighting. It meant, India faced top seed Korea in the quarterfinals.

“I strongly feel that we had the potential to lift the Cup. Our boys lost to Japan in three sets each. We were the only team to run Japan close. Rethin had a set point against Japan. Kriish was a set up, and played really well against Japan. It was Japan’s day. Had we beaten Japan, we would have not only qualified for the World Group, but could have won the tournament also”, said Sajid, the captain of the team.

Analysing the performance of the players, Sajid pointed out that the Indian players were not clay court specialists, but were used to hard court.

The captain rued the absence of the best player Manas Dhamne for the second year running, after he was chosen.

“There should be a way our best players compete in such team events. Last year also we missed Manas in the World Group competition”, said Sajid.

The coach observed that Kriish had improved by 50% from what he was during the World Group stage last year in Turkey.

“Kriish has improved. His unforced errors are less. His serve has improved and his backhand also. His movement and anticipation are very good”, opined the coach.

Sajid had mixed observations about Rethin, even though he was eloquent in his praise.

“Rethin played most of the singles. He was very good and strong. He improved his backhand in the course of the tournament. He was outstanding against Hong Kong. His fitness level has to improve. He is heavy. He has to learn to celebrate the points. He doesn’t speak at all. On the contrary, Kriish does”, pointed out Sajid.

The captain felt that Aarjun Pandit lacked international experience as he had not competed regularly in the ITF circuit.“The international exposure is definitely lacking in Aarjun. His serves are good and movement better. He has a good tennis body. Overall, the team was very good”, said Sajid, as he thanked the All India Tennis Association (AITA) for the opportunity to guide the team.