Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna are formidable doubles players, with plenty of titles won between them. However, come Saturday, the two will need to find their team mojo and help India take a crucial 2-1 lead over the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group playoff in New Delhi.
The tie is perfectly poised at the moment at 1-1, with Somdev Devvarman picking up a win over Jiri Vesely, after Yuki Bhambri had fallen to Lukas Rosol in the opening rubber on Friday.
India are currently in a better position than they were last year, when they went down 2-0 to Serbia after Friday's singles matches.
Paes and Bopanna then made it 2-1, with an incredible come-from-behind victory, and a win will be the primary focus for India in this doubles matchup. It is still not entirely clear who the Czech Republic will put out for this doubles match, even if Radek Stepanek, who knows a thing or two about playing with Paes, is a shoo-in.
One of Vesely, Rosol and Adam Pavlasek will play with Stepanek, with Rosol looking the likeliest candidate, purely going by the doubles rankings.
The court is a little slow in Delhi and only time will tell which team that will help the most. In the singles on Friday, Somdev certainly made the most of the conditions, with Vesely, despite being ranked over a 100 places above the Indian, caving in rather tamely.
"I've always enjoyed playing in Delhi," Somdev said. "It was a very, very close match regardless of the scoreline. The first-set tie-break was huge. The match was determined by how hard I was working and how well I was serving.
"The gameplan worked out unbelievable to be honest. The weather and the court played to our advantage when I played. Captain was happy with that, I was happy with that, the team was happy too."
Apart from the court, what will play a factor is the weather, with Vesely visibly struggling under the humidity, which was near 100%. Similar conditions are expected on Saturday as well, and it will be up to Paes and Bopanna to take advantage.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Doubles Score and Report HERE
India vs Czech Republic Day 2 Doubles action is scheduled for a 12 pm IST (7.30 am BST, 2.30 am ET) start. Live coverage on TV in India will be on DD Sports.
Viewers around the world, including India, can watch Paes and Bopanna via live streaming online on Davis Cup TV. The live updates of the match will be on the official Davis Cup website.
