'Pressure is on Indians'

Were going to give our best shot, says Indonesia skipper Pramono

When the Indonesians step on court on Friday to take on India in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I play-off tie here at the KSLTA courts, they will have an onerous task to accomplish.

Not only have they not defeated India in five attempts, they only boast of one player in the top-300 -- Christopher Rungkat (250) --  with Elbert Sie (888), Wisnu Adi Nugrodo (1774) and David Agung Susanto (1357) ranked way down the ATP list.
Moreover, they have to contend with an Indian team that is back to its full strength and aiming to put the recent bad blood aside.

Despite the tough task in front of them, their non-playing captain Hendri Susilo Pramono exuded confidence of a strong fight from his lads.

“This is a very important tie for us and very important tie for India too. Their main players are back and they definitely start as favourites,” said Hendri during a media interaction here on Wednesday.

‘Full strength team’

“Apart from being the hosts, they also have their full strength team. However, in Davis Cup anything can happen.

“We are just going to give our best shot and hopefully we can pull off a victory. Actually, I think the pressure is on the Indians to win and we have nothing much to lose.”

Indonesia’s No 1 player Rungkat echoed Pramono’s views. “I’ve played both Yuki and Sanam a lot on the junior circuit. Of course, the results have not necessarily gone my way. The last time I played Yuki was in Singapore around the same time last year and I lost a really close match.

“I played Sanam in Australia last year I guess and I lost to him too. Yes, the statistics are against us but we are going to play tough tennis this weekend and not going to make things easy for them (India).”

Rungkat, whose mother has competed in Fed Cup, said he feels no pressure in leading his country’s challenge. “I’ve been the No 1 player for Indonesia for the last couple of years and I’m used to the pressure. I’m the only player inside top-300 from the team and my team-mates expect a lot from me and I’m expected to deliver.

“I love being part of the Davis Cup. It’s a big achievement. I’ve always loved representing my country in the Davis Cup like any other player in the world. I practised here on Tuesday and found the courts to my liking -- medium fast. I’m going to give my best and hopefully I’m able to pocket a win or two,” added Rungkat, a huge fan of Andre Agassi.