TOI Sports Desk
NEW DELHI: Former Australian speedster Brett Lee warned his countrymen who will face the Asian giants in a five-match Test series that the Indian team is a “powerhouse that don’t want to bow down” to anyone.
Lee made these comments following India’s eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test earlier this week.
India will go to Australia next month to defend the Border Gavaskar Trophy in an attempt to advance to their third consecutive World Test Championship final.
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“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 said that he thought ‘Bazball‘ may have influenced India’s performance against the Kiwis in the Bengaluru Test, causing them to play some sloppy shots.
“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 was bowled out for 46 in the first innings of the opening Test, its lowest Test score at home, raising questions about their decision to play first in overcast conditions.
Lee stated that the team must “weigh up the risk factor” and that the Indians need to have assessed the situation more accurately.
“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).