New Delhi: VM Ranjeet will play the first match against Min Hyeok Cho of Korea, while Vijayant Malik will take on Korea number one Suk-Young Jeong in the second singles on day one of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie between India and South Korea at the RK Khanna Tennis stadium on Friday.
Meanwhile, Korea chose not to field their number two player Yong-Kyu Lim on day one, keeping him fresh for the doubles rubber on Saturday. On day two, Leander Paes and Purav Raja will take on Lim and Ji Sung Nam. On the final day of the tie, Ranjeet will play Jeong while Malik will take on Cho in the reverse singles.
India's non-playing captain S P Misra said the draw has come out well for the hosts. "It's a positive draw. I always wanted our number one player (Ranjeet) to play first. If he can pull off something, it becomes easy for our second player," he said at the post-draw press conference.
Meanwhile Paes said gelling with his doubles partner Purav Raja will be a true test. "South Korea’s doubles players look good and it will be interesting for us. Purav is a fabulous player with a lot of skill and game. We need to gel well, it's about combination and communication especially when the surface is slow and bouncing," Paes said.
