Leander Paes does not want to leave a single stone unturned before the crucial Davis Cup tie against Pakistan in April.
The Indian tennis captain was instrumental in getting Davis Cup action back to Mumbai after 43 years and then brought the in experts from Kolkata South Club to tend the grass at the Braborune stadium.
On Thursday evening he opened proceeding by cracking a coconut, a traditional ceremony in India before undertaking a major task. He was handed the practice courts by Hironmoy Chatterjee -- whose team worked for a month to prepare them -- two days before the promised date.
Paes was happy with the pace and bounce of the court and applauded Chatterjee and his men for the work they had put in. The centre court, with the new grass grown in, though is expected be greener and play faster than the two practice courts.
"But grass is grass. You have to serve and volley," said Paes, after the session.
The breeze at the Brabourne stadium could also play a part during the Asia Oceania Group I tie and Paes said they would use the time to acclimatize to the conditions.
Though the neighbours are 0-5 down on head-to-head, Paes said he is not underestimating Pakistan.
"They have one very good player in (Aisam) Qureshi. But he will also come in under pressure, thinking that he has to win all his three matches. We will try and consolidate our position on the number two (Aqeel Khan) but we will make Aisam work very, very hard.
"We are not going to give him any easy points and he will be exhausted by the time he gets to the last singles game. Playing three days in succession in these conditions is not going to be easy. Besides which, all our guys have played against him and know exactly what his strengths and weaknesses are."
India's National Grass Court champion Vishal Uppal, who is making a comeback in the Davis Cup team, added that it will be a test of concentration for the players.
"It is pretty humid here and we will be sapped of energy. In the end it will come down to who concentrates harder and keeps their wits about them."
Pakistan India last played a Davis Cup tie in 1973 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Paes also downplayed the hype around playing Pakistan, India's traditional rivals in sports like cricket and hockey, saying that it is "just another tie" for him.
"It's not going to be any different from how I would've played if it wasn't Pakistan."
India has a rich history in Davis Cup and Paes has been the flag-bearer for more than half a decade now and believes that India needs to develop singles players.
"It's been a while since we were in the World Group. We were regularly in there in the 80s and 90s, but this trend is disturbing because it reflects the depth in our singles. I cannot keep playing all the three matches now."
Though Rohan Bopanna, Harsh Mankad and Prakash Amritraj have shouldered most of that burden for the past couple of years, Paes is expected to play at least one singles rubber against Pakistan.
"I am most definitely considering it," said Paes. "For me it's now about the records. I have a good record in Davis Cup and want to keep enhancing that."
The Indian team for the April 7-9 tie comprises Paes, Uppal, Bopanna, Amritraj and Mahesh Bhupathi. Amritraj and Bopanna will leave Mumbai on Saturday to play an ATP event in Abu Dhabi and have thus been practicing on the MSLTA hard courts.
Pakistan will arrive in Mumbai on April 1 and both the teams will be given a session each on the main court on the eve of the tie.
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