Sania, Shikha in Fed Cup team

India's first WTA title winner Sania Mirza will spearhead the country's challenge in the zonal tie of Fed Cup women's team tennis competition.

The Asia-Oceania Group 1 zonal tie, to be held in New Delhi on April 18-20, will also see the US based Shikha Uberoi make her debut for India.

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The selection committee of the All India Tennis Association, which met in Hyderabad on Sunday, under the chairmanship of Shyam Minotra, also announced the Davis Cup team to take on China in the Asia-Oceania Group 1 first round tie at New Delhi from March 4 to 6.

Leander Paes will as usual be the key singles player but his burden will be much less than last year with Nandan Bal taking over as coach.

Paes, who donned the mantle of both captain and coach last season, suffered one of the rarest singles defeat in the men's team championship against Japan in the second round in an away tie.

That win by Gouichi Motomura helped Japan score its first Cup win over India in 75 years.

The Indian team will still have a stiff task against the Chinese as they go into the tie without the services of Rohan Bopanna who is recuperating from a shoulder injury.

Mahesh Bhupathi, Prakash Amritraj and Harsh Mankad are the other members of the team while 18-year-old Karan Rastogi is the reserve player.

Paes is easing his way back to action after an ankle injury during a tournament in Sydney that kept him out of the Australian Open last month.

With Amritraj too not in peak fitness, Mankad, the man in form, may have to carry the major burden.