Ankita Bhambri to captain India at Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Tennis

The All India Tennis Association announced a four-member team to go with a couple of reserves.

Sania Mirza has missed out on a spot because of an injury which has forced her to also miss the Australian Open.

Former Fed Cup player, Ankita Bhambri has been appointed as the Captain and coach of the Indian team for the Fed Cup Asia-Oceania tennis tournament to be staged at the DLTA Complex here from February 7 to 10.

The team, officially announced by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) here on Saturday, has Ankita Raina, Karman Kaur Thandi, Pranjala Yadlapalli and Prarthana Thombare. The reserves will be Rutuja Bhosale and Zeel Desai.

Read: Prarthana bows out of WTA meet in Auckland

Even though the team was selected on January 2, by the committee chaired by SP Misra, the AITA waited for the green signal from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), before releasing the list to the media.

Sania Mirza has been out with an injury and thus the team will have one doubles specialist in Prarthana Thombare.

It will be a formidable line up of teams, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea and Thailand that would assemble along with the host, in search of the lone qualification spot for World Group-II play-off.

Both Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan had competed in the play-off last time and had lost to Italy and Canada respectively.

While Taipei was trying to stay in the World Group, Kazakhstan had beaten Japan at home in Astan in the final last year, to qualify for the play-off.