Busan: Setting aside their differences, estranged partners Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will re-unite for the country's cause as they lead India's medal quest in the tennis event of the 14th Asian Games beginning on Wednesday.

The Indians, who had clinched four bronze medals in the last edition of the Asian Games in Bangkok, will be determined to return home with a bigger haul this time around and a lot will depend on the seasoned duo of Paes and Bhupathi.

Bhupathi will be returning to competitive tennis after skipping India's Davis Cup World Group qualifying tie against Australia recently due to a shoulder injury and it remains to be seen whether the former World number one doubles pair can rework the magic that had propelled them to dizzy heights a couple of years back.

The Indians have easy opponents on the first day. While the men's team will clash with lowly East Timor after getting a bye to the second round. The women's team may also find the going easy as they take on Mongolia.

While the Indians definitely have chances of winning a couple of bronze medals, getting their hands on the gold medal appears quite remote with the presence of a number of highly ranked players from Thailand, Japan and hosts South Korea.

With Thailand's Paradon Srichapan, ranked 30 in the world not taking part in the Games, Korea's Huing Taik Lee and Yoon Yong are the favourites to clinch the gold medal in the men's singles competition.

The Indians have managed to win just two gold medals in the history of the Asian Games tennis and one silver in the 1982 Games in New Delhi. The focus will clearly be on Paes and Bhupathi who have scripted a number of dramatic victories for the country in the Davis Cup arena and would need to display the same passion to take India to the medal podium.

The pair had split once in 1999 before reconciling ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but split again five months later. Their world doubles ranking has steadily gone down since then having tried their luck with different partners.

Of late, Bhupathi has started to climb up the ranking again after he won the US Open doubles title with Max Mirnyi of Belarus. The team, coached by Anand Amritraj, has a number of talented players but they lack the experience to wriggle out of crunch situations.

Apart from Paes and Bhupathi, the men's team comprised Vishal Uppal, Rohan Bopanna, Sunil Kumar Sipaeye and Mustafa Ghouse while the women's team consisted of Nirupama Vaidyanathan, Manisha Malhotra, Sania Mirza, Isha Lakhani, Ankita Bhambri and Rushmi Chakravarthi.

If the men's team win the second round match, they will take on the winner of the match between Mongolia and Uzbekistan. The women's team, if they cross the first hurdle Mongolia, will lock horns with Chinese Taipei.

PTI