India’s shock 0-3 Test series defeat to New Zealand has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. The loss, their first at home in nearly 12 years, has raised questions about India’s preparation and mindset.
Former Australian pacer Brett Lee believes India underestimated New Zealand, a team they have traditionally dominated at home. “They went into the series thinking they’d whitewash the Kiwis,” Lee said. “That’s no disrespect to the Kiwis, but India are so powerful on home soil.”
Lee’s comments highlight the complacency that may have crept into the Indian camp. India’s recent home record has been impeccable, with their last Test series loss coming against England in 2012. This may have led them to believe that victory over New Zealand was a foregone conclusion.
However, New Zealand’s spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel proved to be India’s undoing. The pair exploited the turning tracks, exposing the Indian batters’ vulnerability against spin.
Despite the setback, Lee believes India will be motivated heading into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. “This is a great learning curve for all out there,” he said. “They are going to come in strong.”
Lee also urged star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to hit the “reset button.” “When you have a couple of bad runs back-to-back, that’s when the pressure could set in,” he said. “They need to go back to the drawing board and work on their technique.”
India’s defeat has put their hopes of reaching a third straight World Test Championship (WTC) final in jeopardy. They now need to win the remaining two Tests against Australia to qualify for the final.
