Setback for India

Edmonton: India's World Group hopes suffered a huge setback as Rohan Bopanna and Purav Raja lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand Canada a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup play-off tie here on Sunday.

Bopanna and Raja lost 5-7, 5-7, 7-5, 3-6 to seasoned Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in two hours and 52 minutes, leaving India with the difficult task of winning both the reverse singles to qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group.

Pospisil, 27, was the youngest on court and only one who plays singles as well on the Tour. He made a huge difference to the outcome with returns from near the baseline and perfect placements at the net.

Pospisil, not nominated for the singles by his captain, troubled both the Indians consistently and carried the home team on his shoulders as 45-year-old Nestor came under pressure several times.

Raja, who has made good progress on the circuit along with Divij Sharan, was superb at the net with his deft volley winners but limitations with his serve and baseline strokes hurt Indiabadly.

Drafted into the side in the last minute, Raja dropped serve five times in the match -- twice while serving under pressure at 5-6 in the first two sets.

Bopanna's big serving game was also missing; he served five double faults in the team's total of 12. His single-handed backhand winners were nowhere to be seen.

However, he managed to hold serve under pressure, even when faced with a match-point in the 10th game of the third set. He neither got good support from Raja nor could he lift the game of his partner.

Ramkumar Ramanathan, who gave India a point on the opening day, will take on world number 51 Denis Shapovalov on Sunday before Yuki Bhambri locks horns with Brayden Schnur.