NEW DELHI: Ankita Raina's red-hot form and Sania Mirza's assuring presence will give India a much better shot at the Play-offs place when the six-team Fed Cup competition begins, in Dubai, from Tuesday.
India will begin their campaign by locking horns with China on Tuesday and are scheduled to clash with Uzbekistan (Wednesday), Korea (Thursday), Chinese Taipei (Friday) and Indonesia (Saturday) during the week.
Ankita has been in tremendous form since the start of the season, winning two ITF singles and as many doubles titles.
She is placed at a career-best 160 in the singles ranking chart but during the Fed Cup, the gritty Ankita has always punched above her weight, giving tough times to formidable opponents.
She would be captain Vishal Uppal's biggest weapon apart from multiple-time doubles Grand Slam champion Sania, who is returning to Fed Cup after four years.
The three-week delay at the start of the tournament due to Coronavirus outbreak has given Sania a chance to recover from her calf injury which had forced her to retire mid-way from her Australian Open women's doubles opener. Agencies