India secured their spot in World Group I of the Davis Cup on Sunday, after wrapping up a one-sided 4-0 win against Pakistan in Islamabad.

“Playing an away tie always has a certain amount of pressure, but this one (against Pakistan) was different,” Zeeshan Ali told The Telegraph on his return to India.

“Our goal was to win and we achieved that. There so much hype just because the opponents were Pakistan and we were playing there. Our preparations, which included a one-week camp in New Delhi was very important considering the matches were played on grass courts.

“For us, except for Ramkumar Ramanathan, the others were primarily doubles players. Choosing the second player was a tough choice for me as captain and coach. But am glad Sriram Balaji lived up to the expectations.”

Asked how the squad adjusted to the high-level security provided to them, the captain said: “It was after 60 years that an India Davis Cup team had travelled to Pakistan, so there was a lot of talk and security concerns. We were given security reserved for heads of state right from the time we landed.

“It was exciting in the beginning but towards the end it got a bit stifling. We were not allowed to go anywhere apart from the venue and the hotel. But thankfully, our hotel had amazing food and so we did not really miss out on the cuisine. However, on the last day of our stay we were taken to Monal (a tourist attraction near Islamabad).”

Asked if more sportspersons should travel to Pakistan for tournaments, Zeeshan said: “Sport is a great unifier. To have players travel and play tournaments is good for tennis. The rest is up to the higher authorities.”

The ITF had restricted the number of spectators to 500 for the tie. “It for sure worked in our favour. Having a big crowd support is one of the advantages of a home tie.

“Having said that, there were still a good number of people who came to watch. We were also well supported by the staff and their family members from the Indian Consulate in Islamabad,” he said.

“The people were very friendly. I would also like to thank the Pakistan Tennis Federation for welcoming us with a lot of warmth. While we were a bit tense due to the security concerns before reaching there, once the tie was over the mood was of relief and jubilation.”