India name squad for U.S. Davis Cup tie

India have short-listed six players, including French Open doubles champions Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, for next month's Davis Cup world group playoff.

Harsh Mankad and Syed Fazaluddin, plus the uncapped Mustafa Ghouse and Ajay Ramaswami, were also named by the national selectors on Thursday.

The final squad of five will be announced later, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) said in a statement.

India, who last played a world group match in 1998 when they lost to Italy in Genoa, face the U.S. in Winston Salem, North Carolina from September 21-23.

The winners qualify for the 2002 world group, while the losers will compete in next year's regional competition. The U.S. have won all six of their previous ties against India.

The same squad will also take part in the first Afro-Asian games to be held in New Delhi from November 3 to 11.

There has been uncertainty over the participation of Paes and Bhupathi, the former world number one ranked pair, in the games because of a date clash with the ATP world doubles championship scheduled to take place in Bangalore.

But AITA secretary Anil Khanna said a request for postponing the doubles event was likely to be granted by the ATP.

"We are hoping. It Looks more or less confirmed to be held from November 21-25, but the official confirmation has to come," Khanna told Reuters.

The AITA also announced a six-player squad for the Afro-Asian games women's competition. They are Nirupama Vaidyanathan, Manisha Malhotra, Rushmi Chakravarti, Sai Jayalakshmi, Sania Mirza and Radhika Tulpule.