Indian ace Leander Paes will take on New Zealand's top player Mark Nielsen in the first singles of the Asia/Oceania Group Davis Cup second round tie at the South Club lawns in Kolkata on Friday.

Rohan Bopanna will play the second singles against Alistair Hunt.

The pair of Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will face Nielsen and Hunt on Saturday. The reverse singles are slated for Sunday. All the matches begin at 10 a.m.

The draw was held on Thursday morning at the South Club.

India's non-playing captain and coach Ramesh Krishnan expressed satisfaction with the draw, which also appeared to have pleased the Kiwis.

Paes and Nielsen had faced each other in Wellington last year when India defeated New Zealand 4-1. The Indian star was tested before he won the contest.

The Indian players -- Paes, Bhupathi, Bopanna, Harsh Mankad and Vishal Uppal -- had a strenuous session trying to acclimatise with the April heat and humidity in Kolkata.

Krishnan said he expects the tie to be a tough and well-contested one.

"There is very little separating the two (teams). We will not be enjoying any advantage because we are playing on grass, though this is what is being made out by some quarters."

He had also refused to lay importance on India's good showing last time in Wellington, saying: "Though the last time we beat New Zealand 4-1, it's not going to be any easier this time."

Despite Krishnan's insistence that the weather could not be important as most Indian players like Paes are coming to the tournament after playing in cooler climes, Kiwi skipper Glenn Wilson said: "The heat is a factor that we are trying to work out."

The members of the Kiwi side are Nielsen, Hunt, James Shortall and Robert Cheyne.