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Rohan and Prakash upset about Paes

India’s top-two singles players, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj, are upset about the overbearing influence of Leander Paes.

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India’s top-two singles players, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj, are upset about the overbearing influence of Leander Paes. The duo refuse to play against Japan in April if the Olympic medallist remains skipper

NEW DELHI: India’s Davis Cup challenge against Japan scheduled for the second weekend of April is in jeopardy with the top two singles players in open revolt against captain Leander Paes.

“Prakash and I don’t want to play under Leander. If he is the captain I will not play the Davis Cup,” is Rohan Bopanna’s categorical stand. “As captain we need someone who puts the team’s interest above him. I definitely don’t think Leander is doing that. It’s terrible if it has to come down to choosing between the top two singles players and the captain but I don’t think it should be a difficult choice for AITA,” adds Prakash Amritraj.

It is apparent that both Bopanna and Amritraj are not happy with the captain. “There is no need for him to come in and play the reverse singles against players ranked so far below his best singles players - like he did against Pakistan and Kazakistan. He’s insisting on playing the fifth match even against players we can beat,” says Bopanna.

“This man has taken the joy away from the Davis Cup. He takes the whole credit by playing against guys we are not going to have any problem in beating,” seconds Amritraj.

“He keeps saying negative things about team members even during competition. He spoke against Mahesh (Bhupathi) in Doha and in Delhi he called Prakash (Amritraj) unprofessional. I am just not comfortable playing when he is in the chair,” says Bopanna.

Both the players are also miffed at Paes not fulfilling what they see as the larger role of the captain.

“When Rohan played Roger Federer at Halle he was nowhere to be seen but he claimed to the press that he had seen that match which is a complete lie. I had surgery - three holes in the hand. As captain he should be worried but I got no call to even ask how I am doing.

Even during the Delhi tie he did not have his facts right about my going out and he is not correcting himself when he has made a mistake,” Prakash says. 

When pointedly asked about as to how much of an influence has Bhupathi’s known differences with Paes have been a catalyst in this outburst, both insist that it has nothing to do with the clashes of the past.

“Prakash and I took this decision and Mahesh is just supporting us,” suggests Bopanna, while Amritraj is even more forthright: “This is entirely our brainchild.”

“It’s been going on for far too long, it’s time someone took a stand,” asserts Bopanna. “At Bombay we played on a cricket ground even when I and Rohan wanted the tie to be held on hardcourts. The captain does not consult his two singles players before
taking crucial decisions and that is not on,” adds Amritraj.
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