BENGALURU: Long-serving Leander Paes was on Thursday dropped for the first time in 27 years from India’s Davis Cup squad as non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi picked Rohan Bopanna instead for the tie against Uzbekistan.
The Asia/Oceania Zone Group I tie begins on Friday.
Bopanna will pair up with Sriram Balaji in the second round doubles tie and lock horns with Farrukh Dustov and Sanjar Fayziev at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association.
Bopanna is ranked 24th in the world, 29 spots above Olympic medallist and multiple Grand Slam winner Paes (53rd).
Ramkumar Ramanathan will spearhead India’s singles challenge in place of injured Yuki Bhambri. Ramanathan will face Temur Ismailov in the first singles rubber on Friday.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who replaced the injured Bhambri, will take on Fayziev in the second singles rubber.
In the reverse singles on Sunday, Ramanathan could face Fayziev and Gunneswaran will be playing the final rubber against Ismailov.
Justifying his decision to pick Bopanna over Paes, Bhupathi said the Bengaluru lad is serving and seeing the ball well and also had a good start to the year. (PTI)
