The All India Tennis Association (AITA) is considering taking action against Indian player Sasikumar Mukund for not wearing the official jersey during the Davis Cup tie against Morocco on September 16, 2023.

During the clash between both nations, Mukund wore the jersey provided by his personal sponsor and not the one made available by official Indian team sponsor 'OOK' after taking "permission" from captain Rohit Rajpal. Furthermore, the aforementioned jersey had 'INDIA' spelt wrongly and the matter was brought to AITA's notice by the team sponsor.

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AITA threatens to take action, Mukund responds

Mukund was issued a show-cause notice by AITA on September 26, giving him seven days to explain the situation. The Indian player responded on October 3, stating that the "shorts received from OOK were not comfortable", and he had taken prior permission from both captain Rajpal and coach Zeeshan Ali to wear the jersey in question.

Furthermore, he also stated he had received eight T-shirts from his sponsor and unfortunately he picked the only one that had printing mistake. In addition, he lamented that neither the captain nor his teammates noticed when he stepped on to the court.

"I have immense respect for my country and I would never do something intentionally to tarnish its image," he wrote in an apology to the governing body.

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Nonetheless, AITA responded on October 13, saying his explanation was not acceptable since the captain has denied giving him any permission. AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar said they have introduced a players' code of conduct for clarity and all players will be bound by it. Asked if they will indeed take action against Mukund, Dhupar said, "Mukund has apologized but we are still discussing the matter".