Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has issued a stern warning to his countrymen ahead of their upcoming Test series against India, describing the Asian giants as a “powerhouse that don’t want to bow down” to anyone.
Lee’s comments come in the wake of India’s eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test earlier this week. Despite the setback, Lee believes that India remains a formidable force in world cricket.
“This day and age, India is a powerhouse that don’t want to bow down. They know how to win, and they know they can beat Australia; they know they can beat the Kiwis. They know they can beat anyone on any given day,” Lee told ‘Fox Cricket’.
Lee suggested that India’s recent performance against New Zealand may have been influenced by the aggressive approach adopted by England under Brendon McCullum, known as ‘Bazball’.
“India just didn’t go into their shell. Maybe it’s Bazball brushing off on other cricketers around the world,” he noted. “I know that India won’t be proud of the way they played. They played some pretty loose shots.”
India’s batting woes in the Bengaluru Test were evident in their first innings, where they were bowled out for a paltry 46 runs, their lowest Test score at home. Lee believes that the team needs to assess conditions more accurately and make better decisions.
“But, you’ve got to weigh up the risk factor as well. There are times when you’ve got to go, ‘Okay, well, maybe the big shots aren’t working today’. Maybe, just rein it in a little bit. I don’t think they sort of summed up the conditions as quickly as what they should have done,” Lee said.
Before departing for Australia, India will play two more Test matches against New Zealand in Pune (October 24-28) and Mumbai (November 1-5). These matches will provide the team with an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
