By naming Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna in the reserves for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan on April 7-9, captain Mahesh Bhupathi left more unsaid than said on Tuesday.
With less than ten days to go for the tie, four singles players - Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan, N Sriram Balaji and Prajnesh Gunneswaran - were named in the pruned list of four players from the initial six-member squad -- which leaves the final team composition open-ended for now, before Bhupathi makes his pick public just ahead of the April 6 draw. Rules permit two players in the final four to be replaced.
Both Paes and Bopanna haven't had great results lately - losing in the first round of both the Indian Wells and the Irving Challenger. On the numbers count though, Bopanna scores with a rank of 23, placed at least 30-odd spots above 57th-ranked Paes.
The singles players' performances have been far more heartening with Prajnesh winning two ITF Futures titles from three finals this month, both against Balaji. Balaji too has had a string of decent performances recently - making five finals in six tournaments, winning two titles.
Paes, if the chance does come his way eventually, will have a shot at history - to hold the highest number of Davis Cup doubles wins in the tournament. He's currently tied at 42 wins with Italy's Nicola Pietrangeli.
Bhupathi's cryptic selection can also be partly attributed to Uzbekistan dithering on naming its final four. There are injury concerns floating with regard to Denis Istomin, the visiting side's highest-ranked player. Istomin, who famously slayed Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open this year, fell in the first round of the Miami Masters a few days ago.
Backing the captain's move, AITA secretary general Hiranmoy Chatterjee said, "I think this is a smart call by Bhupathi. Obviously we shouldn't be the only ones or the first ones to name our team when the opposition is still keeping us guessing."
Admitting that he was initially taken aback by Bhupathi's decision to keep the final team under wraps so close to the tie, selection committee chairman SP Misra said that he thinks it would be wise to play along with the captain's strategy. "I think there's still room for both (Paes and Bopanna) to play. He wants to see them practice. It's also possible that he's made up his mind but doesn't want to show his cards just yet."