Sydney. Australia's fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has cautioned his team against India ahead of the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The fast bowler said that India's confidence must have been shaken after losing to New Zealand at home. But it can make a strong comeback in Australia by being more aggressive than before.

The Indian team was whitewashed 0-3 in the 3 Test series against the Kiwis at home. This is the first time in Test cricket history that a team has whitewashed the Indian team at home in a series of 3 or more Test matches.

The defeat on home soil is not only one of the worst in India's Test cricket history but has also dealt a blow to the Rohit Sharma-led side's chances of qualifying for next year's World Test Championship (ICC WTC) final. Three consecutive defeats mean India have lost their top spot in the ICC WTC points table to Australia.

Hazelwood told the Sydney Morning Herald, "Maybe the sleeping lion has woken up. We will know how things are progressing only when the series starts." India is facing a tough challenge of winning 4 out of their 5 matches against Australia to qualify for the WTC final for the third consecutive time.

Hazelwood said, 'This crushing defeat would have shaken their confidence a bit. Some of their players have played here but some batsmen do not have experience of playing here. So they will not be completely sure what kind of challenge they will have to face here. This result will definitely be good for us.'

He said, 'The New Zealand team should also get credit. They played great cricket throughout the series. Leave aside the series, it is very difficult to win even one match in India.' The 5-test match series between India and Australia will start from 22 November in Perth.

Hazelwood said, 'We are ready for this. This series means a lot to us, whenever we play against India, it is like playing in the Ashes. I am sure that the audience will come in large numbers to watch the match and the TV ratings can also be very high.'