New Delhi: India survived the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Asia/Oceania Group I with an emphatic 3-0 win over Mongolia but their hopes of reaching the World Group play-offs hang in the balance going into the final day.The hosts produced a clinical performance on Friday, overcoming a listless Mongolia without conceding momentum at any stage. However, despite the resounding win, India’s fortunes are no longer entirely in their own hands. A must-win tie against South Korea on Saturday – by a 3-0 margin – is essential to keep their qualification hopes alive. India’s campaign has been defined by contrasts. The surprise opening defeat against Thailand is haunting the team, especially after they bounced back in impressive fashion with a 3-0 clean sweep of New Zealand. However, a 0-3 loss to Indonesia later dealt a major blow.Equality of competence is straightforward but demanding. India will have to beat South Korea 3-0 and hopefully Indonesia will also beat Korea, bringing the set-to-game ratio into play. Nevertheless, progress is far from guaranteed. Indian captain Vishal Uppal said, “We are not going to dwell on the Thailand defeat. The focus is to beat Korea 3-0. That is all that matters now.” India barely broke a sweat against Mongolia.Zail Desai and Sahaja Yamalapalli both registered 6-0, 6-0 wins before Vaishnavi Adkar and Ratuja Bhosle sealed the doubles tie.While Zeal dismissed 15-year-old Anu Vijan Gantur in just 37 minutes, Sahaja defeated Jargal Al Tansarnai in 42 minutes at the DLTA Complex. Vaishnavi and Ratuja beat Khongars Al-Darakhshig and Jargal Al-Tansaranai 6-1, 6-0 to complete the formalities.
