India's fortunes in the Davis Cup will once again revolve around Leander Paes when he plays a crucial singles rubber against New Zealand, on the opening day of the Asia-Oceania Group I first round tie in Invercargill, New Zealand, on Friday.
Paes, captain of the team, named himself as the second singles player and was drawn against Kiwi number one Mark Nielsen in the second match on Thursday.
Harsh Mankad, with an ATP ranking of 329, will kick-off India's campaign in the opening singles against Simon Rea (818), who will be making his Cup debut.
With Mankad the odds-on-favourite against the unknown Rea, and Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi expected to defeat Nielsen and Rea in the doubles match on Saturday, the Paes - Nielsen rubber could decide the course of the tie.
The unranked Paes beat Nielsen 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 in Kolkata last April but has not played a singles match since then. The only tennis Paes has had since recovering from a brain lesion has been a first round defeat in the men's doubles and a final appearance in the mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova at the Australian Open last week.
But the 'Miracle Man' of Indian tennis sounded confident ahead of the tie.
"I have done this many, many times. It is tough to put myself in this position but in the past I have had to win all three matches," he said.
Paes also has the incentive of equalling Ramanathan Krishnan's record of most number of wins by an Indian in Davis Cup. Paes has a win-loss record of 66-29, including doubles victories, while Krishnan ended with 69-28.
The importance of tomorrow's match could be understood when Paes said he would not sit on the courtside when Mankad plays Rea.
He felt he should prepare for his match, having the responsibility to win his matches. Paes also rated Mankad highly to win the opening match.
"For Simon Rea it is his first time in Davis Cup and he is going to feel nervous. Harsh is a bit of a veteran and is used to all the pressure," Paes said.
The 24-year-old Mankad said he is up to the challenge of leading his country and believes that even though he does not have any big weapon he has the ability to win.
"I am timing the ball very well and I don't hit with a lot of top spin, so the ball goes through the court fast. I have been working on my serve and I am generally pretty good around the net," he said.
Nielsen, who beat Mankad in 2002 in a Group I second round match, said playing Paes is going to be a difficult proposition.
"Leander will be tough, he's a great competitor ... I know I need to pull as much weight as possible. I've been the number one for a number of years now so I know what it's like," said the 26-year-old Kiwi, who has a 14-11 singles record in Davis Cup.
New Zealand captain Bruce Derlin agreed that stopping Paes is the key to the home team's chances.
"I already knew he was going to play - and that he's a good quality Davis Cup player," said Derlin. "He'll be extremely difficult to beat no matter what his circumstances have been over the past.
"Paes is going to be the key to the tie and the first day will be crucial. Still we have to win three matches no matter who is in the side," he said.
Derlin's comments on the fast indoor carpet at the Southland stadium contrasted against Mankad's claims.
"I don't believe the fast surface will suit Mankad compared to a slower surface. It could be in our favour."
Any chance of New Zealand springing a surprise by playing another newcomer in the singles, Daniel King Turner, was thrown out when Turner rolled an ankle during a practice match against Rea yesterday.
It was unlikely that Turner will take any part in the tie.
