Relationships formed in the heat of passion may go awry when things cool down; but turn the heat up and watch the chemistry flare all over again.
NEW DELHI: Relationships formed in the heat of passion may go awry when things cool down; but turn the heat up and watch the chemistry flare all over again.
The Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi story is like that of a bad marriage with scintillating sex — they make great music together but the moment the action is over and talk begins, the relationship begins to unravel along myriad ego-driven pathways.
Coming together on the same court for the first time after the Doha Asian Games in December 2006, the duo were very much the fumbling couple in the beginning till the moves of old came together in a synergy of clinical doubles that spelt a 7-6 (2) 3-6 6-3 6-4 end to Japan’s hopes in this Davis Cup tie. Takao Suzuki and Satoshi Iwabuchi were good but nowhere near good enough to trouble the Indians out of their comfort zone of regular tennis.
Lee-Hesh got the job done but on Saturday but they were not the firebrand performers of old. There were no chest bumps, limited yells of release on executing a superb shot and for that matter few moments which brought the crowd alive.
Paes was broken at 2-3 in the second set while Iwabuchi was broken twice in the subsequent sets (at 4-3 in the third and at 3-3 in the fourth) to concretize the final scoreline.
Bhupathi’s solid form coming off victories on the tour was apparent, as he was the more solid player of the two on Saturday. He served with authority and while Paes groped for the deft touch that is his hallmark, it was Bhupathi’s solidity which kept the team chugging along towards victory. As the match unraveled, Paes relaxed and the strokes began to flow fluent from his frame.
It was only by the third set that the two raised their game beyond the regular rut they seemed to be stuck in to lift India from the grind of the Asia Oceania zone to a world group play-off slot in September. A home tie even at that level would allow this team its fair share of chances.
With the tie over and players who had protested against Paes emerging as heroes, the issue about captaincy will now take on a different hue. Though the players have themselves proved that it makes no difference to them as to just who sits in the chair as far as results are concerned, their performance gives them more of an edge to push for Paes’ ouster.
Bhupathi refused to takes queries on the issue at the post-match press conference but given the history between the two expect more fireworks on the issue on Sunday.
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