PUNE: The Indian players may not be formidable on grass but playing Italy on that surface will give the hosts a psychological advantage, reckons Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali. To qualify for the inaugural 24-team Davis Cup Finals, India need to beat Italy which boasts four top-100 players, led by world number 13 Fabio Fognini. The Italians, who are superior on hard and clay courts, might struggle on grass and that is the reason why the Indian team management has asked for a tie at South Club in Kolkata. “Playing on clay or hard is going to be difficult. The surface on which we have the best chance against them is grass. It is not about whether our players are good on grass or not, but they are better against them playing on grass than on clay or hard,” said Zeeshan on the sidelines of Pune Challenger tournament. The tie will be held on February 1 and 2 and the winners will play the Finals in November in Madrid. When reasoned that better players can adjust better to the conditions, Zeeshan said, “If you look at someone like Fognini, I agree. A guy who is World No. 13 knows how…