WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- India beat the United States in doubles Saturday to stay in contention in their Davis Cup World Group qualifier.

French Open champions Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi defeated Don Johnson and Jared Palmer 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) to cut the U.S. lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five competition.

The deciding singles matches are Sunday.

The winner advances to next year's 16-country World Group and will be eligible for the Davis Cup title, while the loser drops to zonal play.

In the fourth set of the doubles, the United States was one point away from tying the match at two sets apiece, but India came back to close out the match.

"It was important that they kept their head up and fought back the way they did," India captain Ramesh Krishnan said.

Paes and Bhupathi have won eight straight Davis Cup matches and are 9-2 overall.

"We really don't enjoy playing them," Bhupathi said. "They play such a different kind of doubles. They don't give us any rhythm."

Palmer dropped to 2-4 in Davis Cup doubles.

"Obviously we've played better matches," Palmer said. "The Indians played well enough to challenge us and they were pretty solid."

At 33, Johnson became the second-oldest man to make his Davis Cup debut for the United States. He and Palmer are ranked No. 2 in their first year together and won Wimbledon.

"I was a little bit nervous," Johnson said. "I probably could have played a little better."

Paes and Bhupathi won the only other meeting between the teams, in the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo in April.

The U.S. team took a 2-0 lead Friday when 19-year-old Andy Roddick beat Harsh Mankad 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, and 21-year-old James Blake knocked off Paes 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

On Sunday, Roddick plays Paes, and Blake faces Mankad. The United States is 150-3 in the Davis Cup when it wins the first two matches.