Bhupathi surprised over Sania's pairing with Paes for Asiad

Sania Mirza's pairing with Leander Paes for the Doha Asian Games has upset Mahesh Bhupathi who said he was not consulted when the decision was made.

"Of course, I am surprised," Bhupathi said.

"I'm not sure whose decision it was. All I know is that everybody is pretending it's the other person's decision but I know that I wasn't consulted," Bhupathi said reacting to Sania's comment that it was the decision of the All India Tennis Association.

Bhupathi's anger can be justified because Sania is considered a protege of Bhupathi who has a better mixed doubles record than Paes.

Bhupathi, however, stated that who brought home the gold medal at the end of the day was what counted and that he would not want the issue to cloud his partnership with Paes at the Games.

"That's one place where I'm playing with Leander. We're looking forward to bringing home the gold medal," he told 'Times Now'.

AITA Selection Committee Chairman Shyam Minotra said although the selections are made by it, the pairing is done by the captain and individual players themselves.