The off-court tussle between Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes continued following India's 4-1 win over Uzbekistan, with Bhupathi suggesting that Paes, his former doubles partner, likely wouldn't find a place in India's Davis Cup World Group playoffs to be held later this year.
"I am a big believer that we don't necessarily require a doubles specialist in this Davis Cup team unless the doubles specialist is playing at a level that I think will make a difference to the tie," Bhupathi said, adding that the role of specialist doubles player had been claimed by Rohan Bopanna.
"As of today, Rohan Bopanna is the No.1 doubles player in the country by far and unless something untoward happens from here to September, it looks like it will remain like that."
Selection criteria
Bhupathi also came out in defence of the selection criteria on which the four-member team had been chosen for the tie. On the morning of the draw, Paes, who was part of the six-member team named by Bhupathi in March, had claimed that the selection criteria was inconsistent. Paes argued that he was in form going into the tie, having won a Challenger title in Mexico a few days before the draw.
"I'm not sure what he is talking about," Bhupathi said regarding Paes' allegation. "What is the criteria for selection? Form was one of five things in my criteria. Fitness was another. Leander was the only one out of these four who did not do the fitness test at the place I asked him to."
Bhupathi added that Paes' victory at a Challenger was not sufficient.
"I don't think he should be the one (talking) about criteria. He was extremely proud of the fact that he won that Challenger in Leon. Rohan (Bopanna) has obviously played Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios in Indian wells and Miami. It's not a debate that I want to get into. My criteria isn't one or two things. It is five things and none of them were really met. So there is no debate on that one."
Focus on fitness
Indeed, a renewed focus on fitness has been one of Bhupathi's priorities. "The physios have been working with (the players) and speaking with them. That is information for me to know what areas they need to work on.
"It is one of the things we do every year to make sure progress is achieved. Unfortunately we were coming into the tie with a number of injuries. But this isn't a one time thing. We are going to do it every year if not twice every year to make sure the boys improve on the fitness," Bhupathi said.
Versatility among players
The question mark over fitness has also meant that Bhupathi is adapting his initial intention of fielding just a solitary doubles specialist. Bhupathi said he wanted his singles players to get into the habit of playing on half a court too.
"I'm encouraging all these guys to play doubles constantly because I think we are in a situation where it's not about who is going to play singles or doubles but who is going to play at all.
"I spoke to Ram this morning saying he should play doubles on the Challenger circuit or wherever he can. It will help their net games and it will help give me a comfort that if I need to throw any of them in on Saturday (doubles), I can."
Looking forward to World Group playoffs
Having made the World Group playoffs for the fourth straight time, Bhupathi is aware of the challenge in getting back to the highest level of the Davis Cup.
"We are going to play opposition of a different level in September. So there is no room for lapses and unforced errors because we don't get many chances at the World Group," he said.
Bhupathi added that he was looking forward to the return of Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni, both of who had been injured for the tie in Bangalore.
"It's a lot of firepower. We will see how these boys get back because they need to get healthy and then start getting results. Obviously we will keep a close eye on them and when it is time to pick a squad of six or eight before the next tie, we will focus on them."
Indeed, Bhupathi said that despite their victory over Uzbekistan, the members of the squad couldn't relax. "They are aware of that. Their spot in the next tie cant be taken for granted."
Discipline in the side
While Paes' lashing out over his omission from the side had left a bitter aftertaste to the win, Bhupathi said it was behavior he would not expect from the rest of his new-look squad.
Bhupathi noted that Paes' behavior was "one of many shocking things that transpired this week" and which was "hopefully never going to happen again."
"I'm going to put what happened in my report to the AITA as a captain," he said. "Something like this will never happen from my boys who played and will play. We are all about being as disciplined as possible, working as hard as possible and putting our best foot forward. Hopefully this episode will never happen again as long as I am captain. Hopefully a lot of us can learn from this."