Hesh back where it all began

MUMBAI: Mahesh Bhupathi is a fan of Hindi film music. Don't be surprised if one of his favourite songs is 'Jaipur se nikli gaadi...' Jaipur was the address of Bhupathi's best Davis Cup performance - against formidable Holland in 1996 - and it got his career chugging along. Then a relatively unknown 21-year-old, he defeated the higher ranked Jacco Eltingh and Jan Siemerink in singles to bake India an extraordinary 3-2 triumph.Now Bhupathi is back in the Pink City, this time to face Uzbekistan. "Nice to be in Jaipur again," Bhupathi told TOI on Thursday. "It's a special place for me. Not just because of the Holland match but also because I made my debut as squad member here (against South Africa in 1994)." Asked what he remembered of the tie, Bhupathi replied: "Everything. I remember us going down 0-1, I remember the rain delay at 3-3 against Siemerink in the fifth, I remember coming back the next day and finishing it off." Bhupathi had stepped on the court against the left-handed Siemerink, a top-25 player then, after Eltingh's defeat of Leander Paes in the opening singles. He won 6-4 7-6 4-6 4-6 6-4. The accomplished pair of Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis won the doubles and Holland went up 2-1. Then Paes mastered Siemerink. In the decisive, nerve-busting fifth match, Bhupathi took control of Eltingh. He led two sets to one before an injured Eltingh conceded. "The weekend made me believe I could compete at top level," Bhupathi recalled. Had he retained anything from the tie? A tshirt, a racquet? "I am not the type," Bhupathi said. "But I guess there is some stuff at home."