Toughest draw one could have asked for: Bhupathi

India's Davis Cup team faces an uphill struggle in their World Group qualifier against the United States in September, the country's top doubles player Mahesh Bhupathi said on Wednesday.

"You must be joking. It's the toughest draw one could have asked for," said Bhupathi when told of the draw.

"Even if the top stars skip the tie, the United States will still start as the overwhelming favourites."

India's non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan was not surprised at being drawn against the 31-times Davis Cup winners.

"We were expecting a tough draw. Last year we played Sweden (and lost)," said Krishnan, who guided India to a 3-2 win over Japan in the Asian zonal group one tie in Tokyo last week.

Krishnan added that India would have a better chance if they were playing at home.

"We are not seeded because we don't have even one player ranked in the top 100. Even drawing Argentina or Chile would have meant playing away," he added.

"They (the U.S) have enough players in the top 50-100. Their all-round strength is very good."

The winner of the September 21-23 tie in the U.S. will be promoted to the 2002 World Group. The loser will compete in the zonal competitions.

India reached the Davis Cup final in 1966, when they lost 4-1 to Australia, and in 1987, when Sweden beat them 5-0.

The last time they played the U.S., in 1994, they lost 5-0.

World Group play-off pairings