Mankad opens campaign; Leander takes on Hunt

Mankad, who registered his first Davis Cup singles victory in the first round tie against Lebanon earlier this year, has been pitted against New Zealand’s number one player in the first singles but India’s non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan was not too perturbed.

“In a way, it is good that Mankad is playing the first singles. He should also have a feel of the pressure,” Krishnan said while praising the youngster for the improvement he has shown. “This will be a better test for him. The players here (in New Zealand) are a bit more competitive and Mankad also has gained some experience having spent two years on the Davis Cup circuit now,” he said. Krishnan asserted that Paes and Bhupathi, who split as regular doubles partners for the second time last month, were in the right frame of mind and concentrating on the task ahead.