Harsh Mankad is keen on revenge against Istomin

Jaipur: Indian captain Leander Paes says it will be tough to decide who plays singles in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group I second-round tie against Uzbekistan starting at the Jai Club here on Friday.

?Prakash Amritraj and Harsh Mankad both are in great shape and played well in Delhi aganst China. I, too, am always eager to play singles especially in Davis Cup. But my aim is to field the best Indian team on the day,? Paes said after chacking into the Pink City with father Dr Vece Paes on Tuesday evening.

Paes, who is coming off back-to-back doubles titles (Monte Carlo and Barcelona) with Nenad Zimonjic, said the fact that Mankad had lost twice to Uzbek Denis Istomin will have no bearing on the selection of players.

?Past is past. Whatever has happened plays no role now. I will have a look at the guys at practice and then the best players will be chosen. Prakash has a game tailormade for grass and Harsh too can excel on any fast surface including grass,? Paes said.

?I have not had a look at the Uzbeks but grass is certainly going to help us. Jaipur has been my favourite hunting ground and it was on my insistence that Jaipur was chosen as the venue,? he said, recalling his wins over Wayne Ferreira and Paradorn Srichaphan here.

Talking about his Tour partner Zimonjic, Paes said: ?He is a very hard working person. I have developed a good chemistry with him, his youth and my experience blend very well. Our combination is going to continue for some time.?

Earlier in the day, Mankad said there was ?no pressure? on Paes to decide the singles players.

?No, there is no pressure. Leander is the captain, it is his prerogative to decide the composition of the team. We all want the best Indian team to take the field,? Mankad said.

Mankad, if selected for singles, may run into a player (Denis Istomin) who had defeated him the last two occasions they met in the ITF circuit.

The Indian, however, said he was not under any psychological pressure and was keen to avenge the losses. ?He beat me twice in ITF tournaments (7-6, 7-6 in Delhi and 6-3, 7-6 in Banglore) but now I have matured and am looking forward to play him,? he said.

Mankad admitted that the surface for the tie, grass, posed a few problems for him. ?It is not my favourite surface and it is a difficult to play on but I can adapt to it,? he said. ?I had little difficulty in the tie against China at the DLTA grasscourts.?

When asked if he had to wait for too long before becoming a regular player for India, Mankad said: ?It was a blessing in disguise. I was able to learn a lot as I got a lot of help and guidance from senior players like Paes and Bhupathi and matured as a player,? he said. (PTI)