New Delhi: After piloting the country to a comfortable victory against Japan in the first round, Leander Paes will once again spearhead the Indian challenge against New Zealand in the second round of the Davis Cup tennis championships in the Asia- Oceania Group 1 tie in Kolkata next month.

Besides Paes, the other three members of the team that played Japan in February - Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad - and the non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan, have been retained for the April 4-6 tie.

India and New Zealand have played each other four times so far and New Zealand holds a 3-1 advantage.

But the Kiwis' all three victories came in the 1970's whereas India won the latest meeting between the two 4-1 in another second round tie in Wellington last year.

The home conditions make India the favourite once again, and should it win the tie, it will be the fourth time in a row that Krishnan's team will be making it to the World Group play-off stage.

The New Zealand quartet of Alistair Hunt, Mark Nielsen, Robert Cheyne and James Shortall blanked Pakistan 5-0 in the first round but will find the going tough under the humid conditions of the subcontinent.

"Wherever we play, I can assure that it will be the hottest place on earth," Paes had said after the win over Japan last month.

PTI