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Leander Paes |
It probably is a fair indicator of what's happening in the Davis Cup team.
Yesterday, Leander Paes resigned as captain of the Davis Cup team. Just like his muddled equation with arch-rival and teammate Mahesh Bhupathi, the reason stated is also equally muddled. "Paes wanted the best Davis Cup team to represent the nation and did not want to leave any doubt in anyone's mind for their non-participation to represent the country in the biggest team event," read an All India Tennis Association (AITA) statement, giving a clear indication that Bhupathi & Co's revolt earlier in the year (where Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj had refused to play under Paes), had a lot to do with it.
Continue as a player
However, Paes will continue playing and was chosen along with Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj for the away tie against Romania next month.
Selector and former Davis Cup player SP Misra has been appointed the non-playing captain. Fellow selector Akhtar Ali welcomed the move. "It's good for Indian tennis. There were so many problems earlier. Maybe, Leander has realised that there could have been further problems and would not have wanted any more controversies. He must have got fed up of it. That could have prompted his decision to step down," Ali told MiD DAY yesterday.
Asked if Bhupathi's name was considered for captaincy, Ali said: "If Mahesh would have been appointed captain, the same problems could have arisen again and Paes could have expressed displeasure over it. So, we appointed a non-playing captain."
