Rohan Bopanna is nursing his knee, Harsh Mankad has never felt fitter in the legs. Therein lies the catch for India.
With their number one player Prakash Amritraj sitting pretty, the toss up will be between Bopanna and Mankad when India decides on the final two for the Davis Cup tie against Japan on Friday.
And Leander Paes isn't complaining.
"As a captain it's a very good situation to be in," said Paes in New Delh on Wednesday. "I have always wanted to go in a tie with a choice of three singles players.
"I am not sure whether I would be playing singles this time. There have been times in the past when I have stepped up or been asked to step up for a deciding tie, but the consensus is always discussed in team meetings. Playing on grass, playing at home or playing at the Davis Cup stage is not a concern; the only worry for me at this point is how my game will hold up over five sets.
"Whatever we decide on tomorrow morning, we will put our best team forward."
Bopanna skipped practice on Wednesday morning owing to the knee injury he picked up during the Chandigarh ITF tournament last week.
"I got an MRI scan done last evening and it has diagnosed tendonitis. The more I rest the better it is; that's why I didn't show up for the practice this morning. I want to come out fitter and be ready for the tie."
While the 27-year-old Coorgi has slipped out of the top-300, Mankad, making his comeback after a year-long injury lay-off, has made an impressive jump of over 300 places on the ATP charts. The Mumbai player had an impressive run in the three ITF tournaments in India, winning a double in Chandigarh.
"My focus was never on winning the Davis Cup berth," Mankad said on Wednesday. "Matters like selection are not in my hand; I have just been trying to play good tennis and I have been picked on the basis on my performance."
Though the Indian team is shaping up well and the weather and court conditions play into the hosts' hands, Paes believes the team is in for a tough challenge from the "best" Japanese team in a long time.
"Yes, the Japanese team has a lot more depth this time," said Paes. "I have played a lot of ties with Japan and seeing them evolve over the past two decades, they have only got better.
"This time they also have a very good singles player in (Kei) Nishikori. He is coming off a good performance in Delray Beach and is going to be a good player in future. He has the ability to become the No.1 player in Asia."
India have a runaway 17-3 head-to-head lead against Japan, but the Japanese won the battle last time around when the two teams met in Osaka.
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