Rohit Sharma's 'Overconfident India' vs New Zealand gets sensational drubbing from Australia

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee said that the India national cricket team underestimated New Zealand in their recent home Test series. Brett Lee said that the series would be easy for the Rohit Sharma-led side due to their strength on home soil but suffered a shocking 0-3 whitewash.

The Men in Blue ended their 18-match winning streak in the home Test series after losing to New Zealand. They suffered a home Test series loss to England in 2012-13. The home batters faced tough challenges against New Zealand left-arm spinners Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel during the Test series.

Thinking That We'll Just Whitewash The Kiwis - Brett Lee

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Brett Lee said that the Rohit Sharma-led side's complacency cost them the Test series against New Zealand. He added that Gautam Gambhir's players may have been too attacking or overconfident despite their own strength on home soil.

"Is it a T20 issue? Were the batsmen too attacking? Is it a skill issue? Is it a problem with them not taking the Kiwis too seriously? I think yes, on all formats," Lee was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

"They went into the series thinking that we'll just whitewash the Kiwis, thinking that's going to be an easy series. And that's no disrespect to the Kiwis. It's just that India are so powerful, so strong on home soil," he added.

This Is A Great Learning Curve For All Out There - Brett Lee

Brett Lee believes that the players would have got a kick up the backside from Gautam Gambhir. The former cricketer said that he remains confident the team will bounce back strongly for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He stated that the loss is a learning opportunity for the visitors in Australia.

"This is a great learning curve for all out there. Probably not for Aussies because now they've got to understand that India will be much better prepared. They are going to come in strong. They would have got a kick up the backside from their coach, Gautam Gambhir," Lee said in the same interaction.

"This is atrocious, the way they played but they are still a team of champions. They have had a downfall over the last couple of weeks; it does happen in cricket. But this is the time to turn it into positives. The Kiwis caught India off-guard," he added.

India vs Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 to Commence on November 22

The Rohit Sharma-led side suffered an eight-wicket loss in Bengaluru and a 113-run loss in Pune. They came close to winning the third Test in Mumbai but lost by just 25 runs. The home team was dismissed for under 200 runs in several innings and managed to cross the mark only three times in six innings.

India secured a 2-0 win against Bangladesh in Gautam Gambhir's first red-ball assignment as the head coach. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia will start in Perth on Friday, November 22. Australia will also hope to secure the series victory with the World Test Championship final at stake.

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