India Underestimated New Zealand, Says Brett Lee

India's recent 0-3 Test series defeat at home to New Zealand has raised concerns about the team's preparation and approach. Former Australian pacer Brett Lee believes India underestimated their opponents, leading to their disappointing performance.

Lee pointed out that India's batters struggled against New Zealand's spinners, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, who exploited the subcontinent's turning pitches. He suggested that India may have entered the series with overconfidence due to their strong home record.

"They went into the series thinking that we'll just whitewash the Kiwis, thinking that's going to be an easy series," Lee said on his YouTube channel. "And that's no disrespect to the Kiwis. It's just that India are so powerful, so strong on home soil. The Kiwis caught India off-guard."

Lee also highlighted a concerning pattern in India's batting approach, which lacked patience. He suggested that India's aggressive mindset may have backfired as they forced their game against the disciplined Kiwi bowlers.

"They were trying to hit boundaries every ball," Lee said. "They weren't prepared to grind it out, to bat for long periods of time. And that's what the Kiwis did. They were prepared to bat for long periods of time, they were prepared to grind it out."

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the horizon, starting on November 22 in Perth, Lee remains confident that India can bounce back and prepare themselves for the crucial series against Australia.

"This is a great learning curve for all out there," Lee added. "They are going to come in strong. They would have got a kick up the backside from their coach, Gautam Gambhir. This is atrocious, the way they played but they are still a team of champions."

Lee also weighed in on the poor form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have struggled with the bat this year. He advised the duo to take time off, refresh, and focus on refining their techniques ahead of the Australian series.

"When you have a couple of bad runs back-to-back, that's when the pressure could set in," Lee said. "I guess the thing now is someone like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma just have to go back to the drawing board. Work on that technique, freshen up, get away from cricket as much as they can and then hit the ground running when they go to Australia."

With a spot in the World Test Championship final up for grabs, Lee believes India will come back stronger and well-prepared for the upcoming series against Australia.

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