And for all the Uzbek talk proclaiming the ‘readiness’ of their grasscourt shoes, the Indian captain is quick to counter the assertion. “I saw their shoes today. They claimed they were for the grasscourts, but they were claycourt shoes. They weren’t sure what grasscourt shoes were,” laughed the 34-year-old.

Mahesh Bhupathi is yet to join the team, but Paes maintained he is pleased with his participation. “It’s great to have Mahesh back, especially after 2007, when he said he will not play Davis Cup again. He is certainly an asset to the team. It’ll actually be good not to have two doubles specialists on the team — what if one of the boys gets injured? This is an opportunity for guys like Rohan, Prakash, to take the responsibility and carry the flag. They should grab the chance with open arms. Rohan is ready to play on all three days, but it could change if he plays a long match on day one,” he said.

Paes admitted he would’ve liked Somdev to join the squad sooner than Tuesday, which is when the 22-year-old will be arriving.

“We have to make allowances for the fact that he is playing college matches and coming from America, but it would’ve been good for him to come on Thursday or Friday. He is capable of playing the singles too, and is an obvious choice if one of our spearheads gets injured.”

The veteran ruled out the option of playing a few tournaments with Mahesh ahead of the Beijing Olympics.