Andy Murray puts Great Britain ahead in Davis Cup tie before Japan ace Kei Nishikori pulls his country level in Birmingham

Andy Murray received the crowd's acclaim and their 'aaahs' when his new baby was mentioned, but the business of defending the Davis Cup title will be hard.

He began the process this afternoon by putting Great Britain 1-0 up against Japan in the first round, a score that was levelled by the end of day one when Kei Nishikori defeated Dan Evans.

And the indications are that there will be some hard graft needed before the weekend is out, with the visitors' top player sure to be a tough opponent when Murray faces him on Sunday.

Andy Murray shakes hands with Japan's Taro Daniel after winning their Davis Cup clash 6-1, 6-3, 6-1

Andy Murray needed only 90 minute to defeat World No 87 Taro Daniel in Birmingham 

Murray punches the air with delight as the Scot secured victory in his first match since becoming a father 

While the world No 2 hardly needed to get out of third gear to overcome Taro Daniel 6-1 6-3 6-1, the No 6 was given a very decent test by Evans before winning 6-3 7-5 7-6.

In the reverse singles Murray will need to be sharper if GB are to reach the quarter finals, and he probably will be.

Britain's leader conserved enough energy to play in the doubles on Saturday, although there were mixed indications about whether the duty of putting them 2-1 up will be entrusted to Jamie Murray and the big-serving Dom Inglot, who ought to be capable of it.

Captain Leon Smith later said that he would put out his 'strongest' combination, although Murray Jr. had sounded more lukewarm about his participation.

Jubilant Murray throws his sweatbands to the crowds as they look to grab themselves a memento 

'I maybe made a few bad decisions out there and my concentration could have been a little bit better at times, but for a first match in five weeks in that sort of atmosphere against a guy who obviously makes a lot of balls, it was OK,' was the verdict of Murray on his singles match.

He then admitted he has only practiced doubles once with Jamie this week.

Occasionally he did look a little distracted, and while Nishikori's exquisite ball striking will drag him to a higher level his match against Evans was a reminder that repeating the life-or-death intensity of the Davis Cup last year might not be straightforward.

Murray shakes hands with captain Leon Smith after defeating Daniel on his return to the court in Birmingham

Smith did not want to elaborate too much on what his doubles line-up would be but Andy Murray will probably have the final say.

'It depends how he feels when we get back,' said Smith. 'His match was quick, which helps. We will have a conversation about it and hopefully he feels good. The good thing is that even if he does feel that he doesn't want to play, we have got a very good guy in Dom Inglot ready to go as well. So I am quite relaxed about it. Dom and Jamie are very strong.'

He praised the performance of Evans in stretching the world No 6: 'Evo's match was a very good level. He is once again playing well above his ranking which is a good sign for him. It shows how much he is progressing again. Kei is no 6 for a reason. He is very good.

Murray waves to the fans as he leaves the Birmingham court victorious following his win against Daniel 

'He weathered quite a significant storm from Evo, who should be pleased with what he has done. It really sharpens his senses should he be required for Sunday.'

Pyrotechnics and a standing ovation from the 9,000-strong crowd greeted the British team, who were walking out as defending champions for the first time in 79 years.

By the end of the day it was clear that Nishikori will relish tackling Murray, but if it comes to a fifth and deciding rubber Evans may fancy his chances against world No 87 Daniel.

Murray speaks with his brother Jamie (left) during Dan Evans' Davis Cup clash with Kei Nishikori

Evans crashed to a 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3) defeat by world No 6 Nishikori at the Barclaycard Arena 

The 25-year-old from Solihull played way above his ranking of 157 in pushing hard a player who might possibly be a future world No 1 .

Coping well with Nishikori's skill of taking the ball early and jerking opponents around, he had three break points to go ahead in the second set before conceding it with a double fault. He twice led by a break in the third but could not pull away.

It was a lot more pleasing on the eye than the first match, and Nishikori's chance of playing in the doubles was probably diminished by the two and three quarter hour duration.

Showcasing his skills to a hugely supportive crowd in his backyard should have served as further evidence to Evans that his rightful place is in the top hundred, even when competing away from his home turf. 

Murray will face Nishikori on Sunday after the Japanese star saw off the challenge of Evans