Paes ready for last leg

When the 33-year-old Leander Paes says, on eve of India8217;s Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie against a non-tennis nation like Pakistan,...

When the 33-year-old Leander Paes says, on eve of India8217;s Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie against a non-tennis nation like Pakistan, that he 8217;8217;might have to play singles on the last day8217;8217; the grass doesn8217;t look green. After 16 years of intense Cup action, Paes has passed the singles baton to Rohan Bopanna 26 and Prakash Amritraj 23, but the veteran still fears that he might have to run the last leg.

As the draw pitted Bopanna against Pak trump-card Aisam ul-Haq Quereshi and Amritraj against the weak link Aqueel Khan, opinions were divided over the possible scoreline at the end of Day One. But one thing was sure: the outcome of the Qureshi-Bopanna contest will set the tone for the tie and also decide if Paes8217; gets the SOS on the final day.

With no clear favourite and ambiguity over the line-up on Day 2 and 3, that haunting question once again surfaces: 8217;8217;Who after Paes-Bhupathi?8217;8217;

It a question that even disturbs the grand old man of Indian Davis Cup encounters Naresh Kumar, who as a coach sat next to a 16-year-old Paes when he first represented the country. 8217;8217;In case Paes is forced to take to the court on the final day, it will be really sad. These boys 8211; Bopanna and Amritraj 8211; had enough exposure, and if they can8217;t break through now, I think it we should look for other options,8217;8217; he opined.

With talented youngsters like Karan Rastogi and Jeevan Neduncheziyan waiting in the wings, a lot will be at stake when Bopanna faces Qureshi, who is about 200 places below the Indian on the professional ladder. But the duel between the big servers can8217;t be decided by ATP points since the Pakistan No. 1 has beaten Paes in his prime and Bopanna in the only time they have met.

Pakistan8217;s non-playing captain and coach Rashid Malik labels the first match as a 8217;8217;do-or-die battle8217;8217; but also adds, 8217;8217;Bopanna is capable of playing cracking tennis and that8217;s what worries us. Quereshi is equally good and that8217;s the reason it will be an intriguing match.8217;8217;

But the man who wouldn8217;t bat an eyelid during the tie will be Indian captain Paes. 8217;8217;The first match is our biggest concern, if Bopanna wins that would be awesome and then we can consolidate through Prakash,8217;8217; he says. If not than it will be the usual Davis Cup scene on the final day 8211; Paes banking on the tri-colour to pump his adrenaline and play the hero again.