India may be much below Italy in rankings, but their non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi Wednesday said his players will not be intimidated by their European opponents in the Davis Cup Qualifiers here next month. Keeping in mind Italians' weakness on grass, India have opted for grass courts in South Club here for the February 1-2 fixtures which will be played in new format with the winners making a cut to the 18-nation finals in Madrid next year.

"Nothing can be taken for granted. We are underdogs but my boys will not be intimidated. I feel we have a better chance," Bupathi told reporters on the sidelines of the first practice session of the team at the Calcutta Gymkhana Club. "I think my boys are experienced enough that when Davis Cup comes into play ranking is not really a factor. They have all played at the highest level now, both Ramkumar (Ramantahan) and Prajnesh (Gunneswaran) have played Grand Slams and Tour events," the 44-year-old the multiple Grand Slam champion in doubles said. Talking about his personal experience as a Davis Cup player, he said, "When I was playing Davis Cup, if I played a top ranked player, it was different for me because I was always competing at the challenger level.