'The way they played was atrocious' - Brett Lee highlights issues resulting in India's whitewash against New Zealand

India were anticipated to excel against a supposedly depleted New Zealand outfit in the recently concluded Test series as the Kiwis were coming on the back of a whitewash to Sri Lanka. However, what unfolded was quite the contrary. It was the Kiwis who came out on top and ultimately went on to secure an iconic 3-0 scoreline. 

Former Australian cricketer, Brett Lee, in a recent discussion, went on to uncover the cause of India's thumping defeat on home soil. He linked it to a host of factors.  

"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. They went into the series thinking '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," stated Lee in one of the videos on his YouTube channel.

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This is the time to turn it into positives: Lee

According to Lee, this was an opportune moment for India to revitalize and reclaim themselves. He also gently cautioned Australia to not take India lightly for the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"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. The way they played was atrocious, 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.

For India to secure a sure-shot place in the WTC final, they must win at least four of their games in the BGT. They will have to be on the top of their game to achieve what they have to.