India’s singles players will need to back their talent with some killer instinct for the team to emerge victorious against a reasonably strong Finland in the Davis Cup World Group I tie, starting here on Friday.

World No. 165 Prajnesh Gunneswaran will open the tie for India with a match against Otto Virtanen (ranked 419).

It is a splendid opportunity for India to draw first blood as Prajnesh is a superior player. What is a matter of concern is his tendency to lose even from advantageous positions, like he did against Borna Coric in the last tie against Croatia.

Maybe it’s the pressure of playing for your country, but the left-hander from Chennai insists that is not the case. “Matches against good players are always close if I’m playing well. I have won matches against good players being in the lead and I have also lost matches being in the lead. That’s just the way they go,” Prajnesh said.

If Ramkumar Ramanathan can play the same way he did against 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic (Croatia), India will have a very good chance in the tie.

As the second-best ranked player from India, Ramkumar is up against Finland’s No.1 player Emil Ruusuvuori, who is placed 74 in the world.

Rohan Bopanna (44 on the ATP doubles rankings list) will pair with either Divij Sharan (86) or Saketh Myneni (296) against Henri Kontinen (ranked 46) and Harri Heliovaara (ranked 76) on Saturday. The reverse singles will also be played on Saturday.

Bopanna and Sharan have played only one tie together, winning against Italy in March 2019. Most of Bopanna’s doubles wins have come with either Paes or Myneni.