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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Davis Cup team captain Takanyi Garanganga believes that the just-ended Group III competition was a good platform for their young players to gain experience.
Zimbabwe were fighting for promotion back into the World Group II Play-offs for next year and they did just that after they topped Pool B.
Garanganga included two rookies in his team — Benedict Badza and Takura Mhwandagara.
Badza played in all the ties from the group stages together with Number One player Benjamin Lock while Mhwandagara featured in their last tie against South Africa in the positional play-offs.
With Zimbabwe already promoted back to Group II going into the last tie against South Africa, Garanganga opted to field the two young players and lost 3-0 to finish second at the event.
As qualification had already been sealed, it became an opportunity for Zimbabwe to use their last assignment to give much-needed exposure to the young players they have in their ranks.
“Yes Zimbabwe got promoted, I think that was an exciting thing for the team and obviously as well for myself,” Garanganga said.
“From a captain’s point of view, it was not an easy task, a lot of variables were taking place within that week.
“But I am glad the team did (well), youngster Benedict Badza had a lot to learn within that, playing a lot of live rubbers and I am sure that will add value to his experience and moving forward just his tennis career.
“I will also appreciate Benjamin Lock’s leadership, guiding Benedict where necessary when they were in the heat of (the) battle. I am glad that he was able to transfer some of that experience he had when he was in that situation and we ended up coming second obviously to South Africa.
“And the performance on that last day for the young team because Benedict and Takura Mhwandagara played, was also a good experience for them to look forward to what they need to bring out for their expectations in other Davis Cup ties moving forward.
“The youngsters have a lot to learn but they have to start from somewhere,” said Garanganga.
Garanganga believes taking on the eventual winners, South Africa gave his rookies an insight of where their standards need to be.
It also provided them a chance to experience the psychological aspects of the game and a platform on how best to approach such occasions.
The Davis Cup team captain has already begun engaging Tennis Zimbabwe to plan for next year as the competition gets even tougher.
“I have been speaking to the Tennis Zimbabwe office looking forward to Group II next year.
“What I would say, is just the preparations, hopefully months leading into Group II after the draw comes out in September, we will kind of narrow down on some of the scheduling or the events that I would advise them to play in before the tie.
“So that’s still like our process that we are looking at in the next few weeks, to figure out how to approach February. But the bottom line is for them to be competing, playing a competitive mode, so that they just gear up for the tie in February,” said Garanganga.
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