Johannesburg, Sep 17 - Rohan Bopanna will be the man under pressure when India take on South Africa in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tennis tie, from Sep 18-20, at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena here Friday.

In the absence of experienced doubles campaigner Leander Paes, who has pulled out of the tie due to a shoulder injury, Bopanna will now have to pair with Mahesh Bhupathi in crucial doubles tie besides playing two matches as the second singles player.

India's No. 1 singles player Somdev Devvarman will play the opening rubber Friday against South African second singles player, the 290th-ranked Izak van der Merwe, whom he had beaten at the Aptos challenger quarterfinals in July.

The 488th-ranked Bopanna will play the second singles against 29-year-old Rik de Voest, who in the absence of their top player Kevin Anderson is their No.1 singles player and is ranked 189th.

It will thus be a huge responsibility on Bopanna who has just recovered from a knee injury and will have to play on all the three days of the tie.

Unless of course, Somdev pulls of both his singles matches to let the issue settle in the doubles rubber on the second day of the tie.

Indian team captain S.P.Misra said Bopanna is fit and is raring to go.

'Rohan himself showed enthusiasm to play the doubles. He said he is fit and is confident of playing on all three days. We all had an extensive discussion on it and finally it was decided that Rohan will pair up with Mahesh,' Misra told IANS.

South Africa have defeated India in both their previous meetings. They last met in 1994, also at World Group play-off.

'The team has adjusted very well to the conditions. I think we have a good chance in the tie.'

One would also expect 133rd-ranked Somdev, who had a good run recently reaching the second round of US Open singles, to pull of both his singles matches and ease pressure on Bopanna.

Somdev is not taking the challenge lightly. The South Africans are counting the high altitude and the fast courts as their strengths in the tie but the 24-year-old Indian reached here a week in advance to acclimatise to the conditions.