New Delhi: It will be a big moment for the young Rohan Bopanna when he kick-starts India's Davis Cup challenge against Japan in the Asia-Oceania Group ‘I’ first round tie at the R K Khanna Stadium on Friday.

The 22-year-old player from Coorg, Karnataka, has been drawn to taken on Gouichi Motomura in the first singles match and it will signify Bopanna's taking over the mantle from the country's leading tennis player Leander Paes.

Both Bopanna (343) and Harsh Mankad (479) are ranked above Paes who is numbered in the thousands in computer rankings, and it was Bopanna's big serving ability on grass that tilted captain Ramesh Krishnan's decision in his favour.

"Rohan has been playing excellent tennis. He reached the Asian Tennis Championship final last year, and since September when we played Australia, he has improved a lot," said Paes endorsing the decision to play Bopanna ahead of Harsh Mankad who has played in three Davis Cup ties so far.

"The decision reflects the captain's faith in him and his ability on grass. The whole team is behind him, and he will also be on home courts, so it's a great opportunity for him to excel," Paes said.

Bopanna himself was enjoying his first big moment on the stage and gave no impression of being nervous. He had played the reverse singles against Australia last year at Adelaide in the play-off tie for the elite World Group and lost to Scott Draper but that was a dead rubber. So, effectively he will be making his Davis Cup debut on Friday.

Bopanna does not have happy memories against either Motomura and Takao Suzuki, against whom he is scheduled to play the reverse singles on Sunday. He lost to Motomura at the ATC final in Tashkent in October and to Suzuki at the Busan Asian Games in the round of 16.

But the enthusiastic youngster quickly dismissed any such negative thoughts. "I am aware of that (defeat) but this time the surface is going to be different and grass is my favourite surface. I am playing better now, so let us see how it goes," Bopanna said.

Krishnan said he was happy with way the draw had panned out. "It is good that Bopanna now knows he has to play both the singles matches on the first and third days in the morning. Leander is experienced and will adjust to the change," he said.

But, however much crucial Bopanna playing the singles might be, both India and Japan are aware that it will still be Paes who will be playing the pivotal role.

It is 13 years since Paes made his Davis Cup debut against the same opponents in 1990 in an Asia Oceania Group ‘I’ quarter-final and helped India clinch the issue 4- 1 with a thrilling 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 18-16 doubles win with Jeeshan Ali on the Chandigarh lawns.

"I think after a long time, for the first time we have a good chance of winning other matches also. We have a very good team as a whole and if Rohan could cull out maximum points from his matches, that would be fantastic," Paes said.

Again, the doubles combination of Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi would prove to be a vital cog. Bhupathi, who joined the team only on Wednesday, dismissed any suggestion that lack of practice would hamper the pair's smooth gelling on the courts.

"Leander and I won the Asian Games doubles gold last year without practice, so that should not be a problem," the five-time doubles Grand Slam champion said.

Japan's doubles pair will be Jun Kato and Thomas Shimada. The Japanese were content to let the hosts hog the media spotlight but one could sense a steely determination in their quietness and a good sense of humour in their one-line replies.

"This team has played only once, so I don't remember anything else," quipped their captain Jun Kamiwazumi while responding to a query on Japan's 2-16 win-loss record against India.

Kamiwazumi was also the Japanese captain when India beat them in the previous tie at the Ariake Collissieum at Tokyo in 2001. Japan's both the wins came in the first two meetings between the countries in 1921 in a World Group semi-final at Lake Forest, Chicago, and in 1930 in a Europe-2nd round at Royal Botanic Society Lawn Tennis Courts, London.

But more important to the visitors would be the rankings of Suzuki (133) and Motomura (226) and the knowledge that they had beaten Bopanna easily last year.

"Bopanna has a big serve, and he has improved a lot. But it will be different when playing five-set matches," Motomura said.

Motomura had also defeated Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan in an Asian-Oceania Group ‘I’ semi-final last year. Suzuki won the Asian Games singles bronze, finishing behind only Srichaphan and South Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee. And both have promised that they won't go down without a fight, grass or no grass.

Schedule:

February 7:Rohan Bopanna v Gouichi Motomura, 10.00 am (IST).

Followed by:Leander Paes v Takao Suzuki

February 8:Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi v Jun Kato/Thomas Shimada, 12.00 noon (IST).

February 9:Rohan Bopanna v Takao Suzuki, 10.00 am (IST).

Followed by:Leander Paes v Gouichi Motomura.

PTI