Captain Misra leaves with a bunch of sweet memories

After bringing an end to his six-year reign as the non-playing captain of the Indian Davis Cup team in glorious fashion against Indonesia in the Asia-Oceania Group I play-off tie, SP Misra said he enjoyed every moment of being at the helm.

“It’s been a great last tie,” said a delighted Misra at the post-match press conference. “The players have given me a lot of respect and I enjoyed every moment of it.

“Under my captaincy we reached the World Cup Group twice – the first time after 11 years. It was great moment for me. There have also been some special memories which I will take along as I step down. I want to thank the entire team for giving me a brilliant send-off.”

Somdev Devvarman said he was delighted with his performance despite being informed of the tie at the last minute. Misra had decided to field Sanam Singh in the opening reverse singles but with the Chandigarh pro injuring his wrist (ganglion cyst), the captain chose to go with Somdev just an hour before the cut-off time.

“I came to know that I would be playing at 2.00 pm,” laughed Somdev. “It’s very unfortunate that Sanam injured his wrist. He was about to warm-up for the match and felt some pain. Hopefully he will be fine.

“I didn’t think I was supposed to play at all. I was just taking it easy for the next week. So I slept a little longer and had a late breakfast. I was going to come over here late. Then I was informed to bring my tennis bag, just in case, because you may have to play a match. Then I had to check if I had enough clothes, came here and strung my racquet.

“At the start, I was not that sharp. I was just not as ready as I was on the opening day. But don't take credit away from the other guy. I think he (David Agung Susanto) played well. He was serving well and fighting for breaks every time. I think I did just what I needed to do to win the match,” added Somdev.