New Delhi, Oct 23 Former Australia fast-bowler Brett Lee said India are aware of them beating any team in Tests on a given day, but added that the Rohit Sharma-led side needs to find a balance in situations when rebuilding their innings during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Lee’s comments come after India, the table-toppers in ongoing World Test Championship cycle, suffered an eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the opening Test at Bengaluru, as the visitors’ got their first Test victory in the country since 1988.
The game also saw India’s lack of adaptability in seam-friendly conditions coming to the light when they were bowled out for just 46 in the first innings under overcast skies at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"India just didn’t go into their shell. Maybe it’s Bazball brushing off on other cricketers around the world. I know that India won’t be proud of the way they played. They played some pretty loose shots.
"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," said Lee on Fox Cricket’s The Follow-On podcast.
At the same time, Lee cautioned them about not doing anything rash when they aren’t able to play aggressive shots. "But you’ve got to weigh up the risk factor as well. There’s times where 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."
India are now 1-0 behind in the three-match series against New Zealand and will be aiming to square the series when the second Test begins at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Thursday.
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