India's No. 2 singles player Rohan Bopanna will take on Pakistan No 1 Aisam Qureshi in the opening match of the Asia-Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie at the specially-laid Cricket Club of India courts, at the Brabourne stadium, in Mumbai on Friday.
In the second singles, which will be played later in the day, India's No. 1 player Prakash Amritraj will lock horns with Pakistan No 2 Aqeel Khan.
- 'We'll give India a good fight'
The draw of lots for the tie was made by Maharashtra governor S M Krishna at an elaborate ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai on Thursday morning.
In the doubles match, to be played on Saturday, the ace Indian pair of captain Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take on Asim Shafik and Jalil Khan.
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Pakistan pulled out a surprise card as they nominated Shafik and Khan for the doubles.
"They can change the doubles players even one hour before the match, so we will wait and see," said Paes.
"And their number one and two will be playing the singles matches as well, so it may be difficult for them to play three matches on the trot," he added.
Though Paes has not nominated himself for the singles, he said he would consider playing one of the reverse singles if the tie is alive till the last rubber. In which case, Paes will face Pakistan's Aqeel Khan, who is mainly a baseliner.
Paes was also happy with the form and fitness of Prakash and Bopanna and sounded confident of them doing well.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will be relying on Qureshi to give them a winning start in the tie. He last played Bopanna in the Chandigarh ITF tournament in December and beat him 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-3.
"But Davis Cup is going to be different. The intensity will be there," said Qureshi. "I don't mind playing the first match. I would have to play on the first day anyway."
In Sunday's reverse singles, 230-seeded Amritraj will meet 416-seeded Qureshi, while 235-seeded Bopanna will face Aqeel.
India have a 5-0 head-to-head record against Pakistan. The last meeting between the team was almost 33 years ago at Kuala Lumpur, where India won 4-0, thanks to the exploits of the legendary Vijay Amritraj and his brother Anand.
Schedule:
Friday, April 7
Aisam Qureshi vs Rohan Bopanna
Prakash Amritraj vs Aqeel Khan
Saturday, April 8
Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi vs Asim Shafik/Jalil Khan
Sunday, April 9
Aisam Qureshi vs Prakash Amritraj
Rohan Bopanna vs Aqeel Khan
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