Non-playing captain Leander Paes will have to put his thinking cap on before he selects Mahesh Bhupathi's partner for Saturday's crucial doubles match in the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan.
The teams are level 1-1 after Uzbekistan came back through their top singles player, Denis Istomin, who beat rookie Somdev Dev Varman after Rohan Bopanna's cakewalk over Farrukh Dustov in the first singles at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association lawns.
"It was a successful day for us. I will not say it was a grand success. Last time we played them, we were 2-0 down on the first day," Paes said.
Prakash Amritraj, who was down with a stomach ailment, has been named Bhupathi's partner for the doubles, but with the teams level, Paes could field the "in-form" Bopanna for the match.
Paes dropped enough hints to suggest that Bopanna, on current form, will be the right choice.
"We are favourites to win the doubles. Mahesh can win with either partner (Prakash or Bopanna). Rohan is the most in-form. He is playing excellent tennis and he has played well in doubles. He is the most obvious choice," he said.
Much will also depend on Bhupathi's inputs and how comfortable he feels with either of them.
Going by the way Bopanna delivered in Friday's opening singles, and with Prakash still to get a hang of the centre court, Bhupathi may also prefer Bopanna, with whom he has shared the court before.
"Lot of things are in the mix. Doubles is very important for us. I will speak to Mahesh; it is important for me to take his input. I will speak to Rohan and Prakash also and then decide. We cannot risk too much with the doubles team. We will surely be 2-1 after tomorrow," Paes said.
"It is nice to have options, but it is important as a captain to make the right choice," he added.
Young Somdev Dev Varman may have got a drubbing in his Davis Cup debut, but Paes said it was a learning curve for him.
"I still rate him very highly. He is an excellent talent. He played very well in the first set and got crucial break-points. Making his debut and playing against a top player, it is not easy. He thrives on pressure situations but has a lot to learn," Paes said.
Bopanna also came in for lavish praise.
"Rohan did very well, and the best part was that he conserved a lot of energy."
Bopanna, on his part, felt it was one his best performances.
"It was one of my best performances, especially my service on grass. It played with a strategy. I am playing well and will stick to my game in the next match," he said.
Somdev said it was one of those days when things did not go his way.
"I was stroking the ball well. He (Istomin) came up pretty big. It wasn't the best day for me. I can work on my game from here. I was little nervous at the start," he said.
Istomin said his team was happy with the situation after the first day.
"We're happy with the result, but 2-0 would have been better."
Dustov was thrashed by Bopanna but his team-mate said he could play much better.
"He was not returning well today and was a little different than usual," said Istomin.
© 2024 Rediff.com -