Indian captain Leander Paes on Wednesday said that he chose Mahesh Bhupathi ahead of him in the doubles slot for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan considering his terrific form in the Australian Open.
Paes said it was a "selfless" decision to pick Bhupathi ahead of him for doubles, since he believed going into the tie with three singles player and the natural choice to fill the doubles slot was Bhupathi on his current form.
"I always feel that there should be three singles player and one doubles player. It is very important. What will happen If one singles guy is injured.
"If I was healthier, I could have played singles and doubles. It was a hard decision for me. I had to pick one and Mahesh is the right player to carry the team forward. He has been in fine form in the Australian Open . It's not about ego between Mahesh and me, it is about the team."
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Paes also said the team has faced few obstacles during the preparation but he refused to go into detail.
"There were a few obstacles. But we have got over them and we are ready. There is another 24 hours but everyone is happy with the practice and fully fit and raring to go," Paes said.
Paes denied that Sania Mirza's pulling out of the Bangalore Open is the obstacle he is talking about and had affected the morale of the players in any way.
"That has nothing to do with the Davis Cup. We are here to do a job and it certainly does not affect me," Paes said. "I leave it for your imagination," Paes laughed off when asked whether he was indicating about Prakash Amritraj's stomach ailment.
Paes said it was a tough decision to choose between Prakash and Somdev Dev Varman.
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"It is a tough decision to make. I am clear in my mind but I still have a couple of people to talk about and confirm," he said.
Uzbekistan might have been crushed 5-0 last time they played in India, but Paes said their opponents were better prepared this time.
"They have good singles player and they have prepared well this time. There is a lot of grass on the centre court.
We saw it today and there is a little bit of strategising that has to be done." Bhupathi, who had decided against playing in Davis Cup tie, said that he was happy to be back in the team.
"I made myself available to prepare for the Olympics. I am happy to be back and looking forward to playing the tie," he said.
