Home tie will help us groom youngsters in good environment: Rajpal

New Delhi: It won't be a cakewalk but Togo will be a relatively manageable opponent, said India's Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal, who wants to use the home tie against the African nation to groom future stars.

India will take on Togo in the World Group I play-off tie on February 1-2 with Sasikumar Mukund, ranked 368 in singles, to lead the home challenge.

Mukund is making a comeback to the Indian squad after playing against Morocco in Lucknow. The AITA had recently lifted his suspension on disciplinary grounds at the insistence of skipper Rajpal.

Aryan Shah, Chirag Duhan and Yuvaan Nandal have been added to the squad and will be part of the training camp, starting Thursday, at the DLTA Complex, the venue for the contest.

The reserve players will be chosen after the camp.

They will train along with the Indian team and it will be a great exposure for each one of them. Earlier, talented youngsters Manas Dhamne and Dakshineshwar Suresh, were expected to be in the training camp.

Rajpal, whose contract as skipper has been extended till the end of 2025 season along with new coach Ashutosh Singh, is delighted to have got a home tie.

India's last four of the five ties have been away, including the historic match against Pakistan in Islamabad.

"Playing in home conditions is always beneficial. We have travelled a lot in the last two-three seasons. The slow, hard courts at the DLTA were ideal if Sumit Nagal had played but still, the conditions will suit us," Rajpal said, adding that, "the choice could have been grass courts if we knew Sumit would opt out." Nagal did not make himself available for the tie.

"I will not say that it will be a cakewalk for us but the tie will give us the option to groom the next generation of players in the Davis Cup environment and, playing at home, we can definitely utilise the home advantage and home support," Rajpal further added.

Ramkumar Ramanathan and Karan Singh will be the other singles players for India while N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli, who both recently competed in the Australian Open, will do the doubles duty.

Thomas Steodji will be Togo's key player in the contest. Togo come in with three wins, against Latvia, Indonesia and Benin.

The DLTA is being spruced up to welcome the visiting team players and officials apart from the home fans, with beautification of the venue. A players' lounge is also being set up near the centre court.