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India to play Uzbekistan in Group 1
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi seemed to have all the right chemistry despite their past and the fact that Leander was critical of his former partner's p
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 08, 2008 07:57 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
New Delhi:
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi seemed to have all the right chemistry despite their past and the fact that Leander was critical of his former partner's protege Sania Mirza.
"This does not concern me or the team. We are squarely focussed on the tie, and have a tough match ahead of us," said Leander Paes, Non-Playing Captain, Indian Davis Cup Team.
The Uzbek challenge will be spearheaded by Denis Istomin ranked 185th, that's almost a 100 spots above India's highest ranked player who is Rohan Bopanna.
Non playing captain Leander Paes now has a tough toss up for the singles between Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj and new comer Somdev Dev Varman.
Paes has also ruled himself out of the doubles because of injury, leaving Mahesh with a new partner.
"The way Mahesh is playing at the moment, he had a really good Australian Open and he's doing well and it's best that he plays in the team at this point instead of me," said Leander Paes, Non Playing Captain, Indian Davis Cup Team.
"It's not about our ego, it's not about how we play our games, it's about the country and playing for your team," he added.
Mahesh Bhupathi admitted that he's made himself available for the tie to be eligible for the Beijing Olympics, but first priority is to win this tie and get back on track for the world group.
The big question is just how the Indian team will line up come Thursday, but with Leander Paes' unavailability, there will be a good answer for India's future Davis Cup prospects.
With a Davis Cup tie, the focus for the Indian team is squarely on tennis. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi seemed to have all the right chemistry despite their past and the fact that Leander was critical of his former partner's protege Sania Mirza.
"This does not concern me or the team. We are squarely focussed on the tie, and have a tough match ahead of us," said Leander Paes, Non-Playing Captain, Indian Davis Cup Team.
The Uzbek challenge will be spearheaded by Denis Istomin ranked 185th, that's almost a 100 spots above India's highest ranked player who is Rohan Bopanna.
Non playing captain Leander Paes now has a tough toss up for the singles between Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj and new comer Somdev Dev Varman.
Paes has also ruled himself out of the doubles because of injury, leaving Mahesh with a new partner.
"The way Mahesh is playing at the moment, he had a really good Australian Open and he's doing well and it's best that he plays in the team at this point instead of me," said Leander Paes, Non Playing Captain, Indian Davis Cup Team.
"It's not about our ego, it's not about how we play our games, it's about the country and playing for your team," he added.
Mahesh Bhupathi admitted that he's made himself available for the tie to be eligible for the Beijing Olympics, but first priority is to win this tie and get back on track for the world group.
The big question is just how the Indian team will line up come Thursday, but with Leander Paes' unavailability, there will be a good answer for India's future Davis Cup prospects.
Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis Mahesh Bhupathi Leander Paes Sania Mirza Paul Hanley
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