08 April,2017 10:19 AM IST | | G Unnikrishnan
Intensity and passion have been the hallmark of Leander Paes. On the first day of the Davis Cup tie between India and Uzbekistan, Paes was present in the Indian dugout
India's Leander Paes (left) and non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi during the first singles match at Bangalore yesterday. Pic/PTI
Bangalore: Intensity and passion have been the hallmark of Leander Paes. On the first day of the Davis Cup tie between India and Uzbekistan, Paes was present in the Indian dugout. But he was not just there for a large part of the match. Perhaps, the omission from the team seemed to have reduced his intensity by a notch or two. Paes arrived at the KSLTA courts towards the closing stages of the first set to the crowd's loud cheer. He Sat quietly for a good chunk of the match between Ramkumar Ramanathan and his Uzbek opponent. He was mostly engaged with his mobile phone.
A familiar Paes resurfaced when Ramkumar was having trouble during the second set. Paes urged his teammate to focus during points. But the persistent feeling was that Paes was there because he had to be there. He left the court to another round of loud applause. But he walked away silently just as he entered.
