Kolkata: A recharged Leander Paes, the oppressive heat and humidity, plus local advantage tilt the balance heavily in India's favour as they clash with New Zealand in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group-I second round tie beginning here on Friday.

Added to this, the psychological advantage of having drubbed the Kiwis 4-1 at their backyard in Wellington last year, and a friendly draw, further embellish the favourite tag on the host nation which also has an enviable 7-2 win-loss record at the South Club lawns, the venue of the tie.

With the maximum temperature at around 35 degree celsius, and a 93 per cent humidity, the conditions are diametrically opposite to what India encountered in Wellington, where a biting cold was accompanied by gusty winds.

Davis Cup wizard Paes, who scripted India's win in New Zealand, said that the weather will definitely be of advantage to the Indians. "There the wind and cold was not to our liking. But the condition here suits us," said Paes, who kickstarts India's campaign against Mark Nielsen tomorrow, after the draw of lots today.

"This is the magic of the Davis Cup. When you host a tie, you always stand to gain from familiar surroundings," he said.

Nielsen admitted that the heat would be a factor. But not wanting to give any mental leeway to the Indians, the Kiwi claimed that having practised for two days, he had a fair idea of the conditions.

The New Zealand number one, with an ATP ranking of 338, is the highest rated player among the two teams, and on paper, head and shoulder above Paes, whose ATP standing is a poor 1003.

But as leading lights like Goran Ivanisevic, Jeremy Bates and Henri Leconte have found out over the years, rankings are of little consequence when playing Paes in the Davis Cup.

The call of the country has always brought out the best from the local boy, who has been leading India's charge in the Cup for long. With a victory over Japan's Gouchi Motomura in February, he has so far won 63 matches, surpassing Jaidip Mukherjea's win-loss figure of 62-35.

He is now only behind the legendary Ramanathan Krishnan, who has the best indian record of 69-28.

Paes, who turns 31 in June, looked rejuvenated in the practice courts, possibly a fallout of the recent successes in the doubles circuit with David Rikl after a tough last year. "I am looking forward to playing Nielsen tomorrow (Friday)," he said.

Nielsen conceded that playing Paes in the lung-opener was always challenging. "I'll try to take the points quickly and finish off the match fast," he said, perhaps keeping the heat in mind.

But Paes can hardly afford to be complacent on the morrow against his opponent, who had stretched him to full five sets at Wellington. A close contest may be on the cards, provided the Kiwi can withstand the scorching sun and the energy-sapping humidity.

The draw, allowing Paes sufficient rest in between his three matches, the two singles and one doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi, has also brought smiles in the Indian camp. "He will be playing the first, third and fifth matches. This will be of advanatage to us," non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan said.

"Yes, this will give me sufficient time to recover from the stress of a particular match," Paes agreed.

Upcoming talent Rohan Bopanna, who would play the second singles against Alistair Hunt on Friday, sounded confident. "I have never played Hunt before, though I have seen him in action. I shall go to the court and play my own game," the 22-year old lanky youth from Coorg, Karnataka, said.

Making his debut in the Davis Cup against Aussie Scott Draper in Adelaide last year, Bopanna tasted his first Cup success against Japan in February when he ensured India's victory by overwhelming Jun Kato in the first reverse singles.

India won the tie 4-1, with Bopanna losing out to Motomura on the opening day.

Hunt, with an ATP ranking of 1336, far behind that of Bopanna (348), praised his Indian rival. "He is a very good player. He is highly talented."

PTI