It will be Lee-Hesh in doubles

US Open finalist Rohan Bopanna will not figure in the doubles event of the Davis Cup World Group playoff tie against Brazil here on Friday as the team has decided to stick with the tried and tested duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

“We are sticking to our best combination of Leander and Mahesh for doubles. We have an hour’s time to bring in changes in fielding players for matches. You should understand Rohan has to play two singles ties,” non-playing captain SP Mishra said.

Mishra was confident of a good showing by his boys. “We have the home advantage and our players are used to playing here and they should perform well. In Davis Cup, ranking does not matter,” he asserted. He said a 2-0 verdict on the first day would be a dream and the Indians would try hard to achieve that.

“We have to win at least one, if not both matches at the end of the first day.”

Brazil captain Joao Zwetsch said his team is well prepared and have got acclimatised to conditions. “India is a strong team and we expect close matches. They are playing at home and that is an advantage. We are practising hard and trying to get used to the weather and humidity. So far, things have been going well,” he said.

Asked about the hard courts on which the matches will be played, he remarked, “Hard courts today are not as fast as they used to be. The court is similar to that of the US Open. Our players are basically baseline players and it will not upset their rhythm.”

The Brazilian singles players Thomaz Bellucci and Ricardo Mello are ranked higher than their Indian counterparts Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna. But the Brazilian coach did not single out any particular match as crucial for his team.

“It is important for us to take our chances and win every game. I don’t think any one particular match is going to make a big difference. We are practising quite well and will not say one match is more important than the other,” he opined.

Asked about his thoughts on India’s doubles pair, Brazil’s doubles specialist Bruno Soares said, “Everyone knows they are great players and play well in Davis Cup. We have worked hard and hope to take our chances.”

Paes said the team spirit and camaraderie of a Davis Cup team was the overriding factor. “The team environment in Davis Cup is phenomenal. Tennis is an individual sport, to have all these guys on the dais as a team is fantastic. The camaraderie, the teasing, the little back and forth really makes it special,” he said.

—With agency inputs