PUNE: Impressed with the Indian women's creditable performance in the Billie Jean King Cup team tennis competition in Tashkent last week, chairman of selectors Nandan Bal said the team's showing had highlighted an important "lesson to be learnt", even for the Men in Blue.
Featuring three debutants, the side led by Shalini Thakur retained its place in Asia-Oceania Group 1 after finishing fourth behind three strong teams - Japan, Korea and China.
While Japan and Korea advanced to the World Group Playoffs in November, Thailand and hosts Uzbekistan finished fifth and sixth, and were relegated to Group 2 in 2024.
Bal praised captain Shalini for giving Vaidehi Chaudhari, Sahaja Yamalapalli and Shrivalli Rashmika their maiden India caps and said it was "the way forward".
"Shalini made sure all of them got to play. You can be a reserve and soak in the atmosphere and all that, but it is only when you play, when the umpire calls out Advantage India and not your name, that is when it sinks in," Bal, a former Davis Cupper, said.
National champion Vaidehi, ranked 481, is 23 while Sahaja (484) and Shrivalli (747) are both 21. Originally named as a reserve, Shrivalli made it to the team when Karman Kaur Thandi withdrew with an injury.
"These are the girls whom we have to look to when we are forming a nucleus. We have to continue with these three. When you lose 6-4 in the third set, probably you could have won that match. So now they are learning how to handle that pressure.
"So, this is the way forward, even for the boys. This is a lesson to be learnt, groom the younger lot ... not just by best ranking.
"As a player if you are 29, you can be in the team if you are in the top-3 in the country. But your fourth and fifth players have to be 18-19 year-old. It has to be a player who can serve the team for the next seven-eight years."
Bal, who had coached both the men's and women's teams, said while "Ankita Raina played beyond herself" against much higher-ranked opponents, the team felt the absence of Sania Mirza.
"We clearly missed Sania, the couple of doubles matches we lost showed that," the 63-year-old said.
"When you know your doubles is secure, then it puts less pressure on you and puts more pressure on the opponents. That Chinese girl was able to swing freely when she knew that the doubles point would be won.
"If we had beaten Korea probably we would have finished third. We still would not have qualified but that would have been a big morale-booster."
Bal was clear that with both the men's and women's tennis in India going through a transition phase, it was time the national association got its act together.
"Somewhere I feel that, there are two sides to it. You cannot expect the association to do everything. But at the same time, there has to be a plan, a blueprint, a marketing team to tap into corporates. You cannot expect players to spend Rs. 25 lakh a year for five-six years," he said.
"And you have to start with 14-15 year-olds and hope to get something out by the time they turn 18-19.
"We have the infrastructure in every city. We actually have a lot of good coaches, so we don't have to necessarily look at a foreign coach. We have good trainers also.
"Funding will not solve all problems, but it will be a start. If we can have 40 kids across the country...
"It is very doable, when (business) CSR has the confidence, which will happen when the association does its job.
"For any sports association, the first priority, in fact the only priority, has to be developing that sport."
