CHENNAI: Leander Paes was left out of the India squad for the important Davis Cup World Group playoff tie against Canada next month. The selection committee reasoned that the veteran was left out of the squad because of his low rankings.

“The selection committee was very clear that three singles players and one doubles player would be picked,” said selection committee chairman SP Misra to TOI. “That is why Rohan Bopanna got preference over any other player. He is not only ranked 17 now but also he is having a dream run this season. We are hoping that his good form continues. Also, Purav Raja and Divij Sharan are now ranked higher than Paes. So, he was never in contention for Davis Cup Squad. It isn’t like we have shut the door on him.”

But Paes’ omission doesn’t come as a surprise after the drama that took the front seat during the last Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan in April. After Bopanna was picked over Paes in the final squad, Paes launched a tirade against captain Mahesh Bhupathi which led to another dark saga with the two former doubles partners taking pot-shots at each other in public.

AITA wrote letters to all players in contention seeking their availability and Paes was not approached by them. It was clear that they did not want a repeat of what happened in Bengaluru.

India coach Zeeshan Ali acknowledged that not having Paes in the side will probably help the team focus only on the task at hand. “Rohan has picked himself after his recent success and there was only one slot for doubles. Leander should have concentrated on improving his rankings to fight for contention. And we definitely did not want any drama when we are facing a formidable force like Canada too.”