On a chilly morning with heavy cloud cover threatening to open up anytime, Bopanna's match was delayed by an hour but the Indian made the wait worthwhile as he thrashed Dustov 6-3 6-3 6-1 in little over an hour's time to give India a crucial lead.

However, Varman frittered away the advantage, going down 3-6 4-6 2-6 to Uzbek No. 1 Denis Istomin in an over two-hour contest.

"We are in an excellent position going into the doubles match tomorrow when Mahesh (Bhupathi) and Prakash (Amritraj) will play (in doubles) and we are favourites for that," India's non-playing captain Leander Paes said after the matches.

The uneven bounce at the DLTA grasscourt troubled the visiting team and both Dustov and Istomin found it tough to cope with it.

While Bopanna could turn it to his advantage against Dustov, Varman -- chosen in place of the experienced but unfit Prakash Amritraj -- could not match Istomin's experience.

Dustov could hardly put up a fight against a rampaging Bopanna, who broke the Uzbek with ease and was on top from start to finish.

Bopanna stamped his authority with his crisp serve and volley game throughout the match.