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India can make it to World Group: Bhupathi
Things were still green for the Indian team despite the loss to Japan in the Davis Cup match, tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi said.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:06 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
New Delhi:
Things were still green for the Indian team despite the loss to Japan in the Davis Cup match, tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi said. "We have a very young team. With Leander (Paes) and myself for experience, it has the potential to make it to the World Group," Bhupathi said. The Indian team lost to Japan in the second round of the Asia-Oceania Zone Group 1 in Osaka, with captain Paes losing to Gouichi Motomura in the deciding singles rubber. It was Japan's first win in 74 years against India who had won 17 of the 19 previous encounters. Japan's two wins came in 1921 and 1930. "We had them under pressure when leading 2-1 but they played very well on the third day," Bhupathi remarked. Paes had repeatedly pulled India out of trouble in the past. But after being sidelined for nearly six months with a brain lesion, the burden of winning three matches proved too much for him against Japan. Commenting on their loss, Bhupathi said, "We were obviously disappointed but later we sat down and discussed each other's game. "Obviously every one has his own game and each has been given a programme to work on." Bhupathi was hopeful that by the next Davis Cup match, due in ten months' time, the team would have ironed out its flaws. (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
Tennis
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