Let’s see after he plays some sets in practice," the captain said. So obviously they will be nervous. With good reason too.Bengaluru: Mahesh Bhupathi has been around tennis his entire life and two decades as a pro."Two days ago we knew that it was highly likely that he (Istomin) wasn’t going to show. It’s a bit of a unique situation."(I’m) seeing Leander for the first time today. So let’s see how it goes.Despite the developments, Bhupathi stressed that there is no change in their plans whatsoever."Every kid dreams of playing Davis Cup so this is something that their 20 years of flesh and blood has come to.With the tie against Uzbekistan starting on Friday marking his debut as captain, it’s uncharted territory for the former doubles specialist.

While it is more likely the latter will be used in the doubles, it will nonetheless be a big moment for both."(There are) no changes in plans. But the priority now is to win.With Uzbekistan confirming their top star Denis Istomin will not be making the trip, the odds seems to have levelled for the hosts."And what about the doubles rubber?Leander Paes, coming off the back of a Challenger title win in Mexico, finally landed in the city and was available for practice for the first time on the day while Rohan Bopanna, the other doubles hand, has been at it since the beginning of the week. One guy wakes up with a cold, another with a bad hamstring. He looks fresh. These guys are my colleagues."

Big moment for youngstersAmong them will be debutants Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Sriram Balaji. Both teams are now without their highest ranked player as Yuki Bhambri had already pulled out with a knee injury earlier this week. When you are captaining, you got to make sure everybody else is ready. So from Indian tennis’ perspective, it’s a good place to be in."When you are playing, you are worried about doing everything for yourself so you are ready when Friday comes.. Having always found himself inside the white lines, Bhupathi is adapting, and quickly, to the new life on the sidelines. Now, having stepped into the role of Davis Cup captain, the 42-year-old is enjoying his stint at the helm."From diet to food to recovery to ice-baths. I have FKM O ring Manufacturers played with all of them. For us, losing Yuki was a blow but now that Istomin is not there, that evens up the game," he opened up. I don’t have so many options in singles. Once the blood starts flowing and the crowd starts screaming, they will be in their element," stressed the multiple Grand Slam doubles champion.