Click to play videoNew Delhi: India's Davis cup captain Leander Paes has joined the team in Delhi ahead of their tie against Japan starting this Friday. It's well known that several members of the squad don't want to play under him. And as CNN-IBN reports, Paes has been clearly affected by the animosity.
It's perhaps too early for these players to leave the bad blood behind, and it may be a long time before the wounds of all that heal. But the manager of the Indian Davis Cup team says Leander Paes has a gift for handling tough situations.
"Leander is a big name himself and he is such a man that he puts everyone at ease very fast. He gets into it, serious all through and he is a man who motivates all other players," S P Mishra says.
But it's clear that the events of weeks gone by have upset Leander. Usually chatty in interactions with the media, all Leander was prepared to offer on Tuesday were some pretty standard evasive soundbytes.
"No braces, no straps — the last four weeks on the tour have been excellent. Good movement, on the grass I have no second thoughts about my movements. Everything is perfect," he replied, letting go of other serious issues.
"You will have to ask him (Rohan Bopanna) that. As far as I'm concerned, he looks well and out there working hard. But that's for us to keep," Leander said of his team member, who revolted against him.
With three days still to go for the first match, the captain is working on getting the combinations right. Rohan Bopanna continues to battle fitness issues, and his doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi is yet to arrive.
"I'm happy that all the boys are here. Mahesh got in last night as well, so he's going to join us tomorrow," he said.
It's one of those rare instances that have seen Leander Paes holding back from the media. He may be all smiles now, but the captain of the Davis Cup team knows that there are few tough decisions he will have to take in this tie as well, especially with two of his players dealing with their fitness.
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