Davis Cup: Paes left out of Indian team for Uzbekistan tie, Bopanna picked up as doubles specialist

In what could be curtains to his Davis Cup career, Leander Paes has been left out by non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupati from the Indian team that will face Uzbekistan in Bengaluru from April 7 to 9 in a second round Davis Cup tie in Group 1 of the Asia/Oceania zone. 

Leander Paes dropped from Davis Cup squad against Uzbekistan. Non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi picked Rohan Bopanna. pic.twitter.com/Db9l3JMrlj

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 6, 2017

Rohan Bopanna will partner Sriram Balaji in the doubles match against Farrukh Dustov and Sanjar Fayziev. Bopanna is ranked 23rd in the world, 34 places above Paes.

Ramkumar Ramanathan will face Temur Ismailov in the first singles rubber. Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who will replace the injured Yuki Bhambri, will take on Fayziev in the second singles rubber.

In the reverse singles, Ramanathan will face Fayziev and Gunneswaran will play the final rubber against Ismailov.

Uzbekistan will be missing their top singles player Denis Istomin, who pulled out of the tie against India after failing to recover completely from an injury to his left foot.