Former India coach Ravi Shastri said that India were a little complacent which led to their 0-3 home series loss against New Zealand, adding that the first two Tests of the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy will be crucial for the team.

“India will be smarting from that defeat in that series against New Zealand because they were caught unawares. They were a little complacent and they paid the price for it. But having said that, it’s a very proud team, this Indian team. They would be hurting and they’d like to get back on track ASAP. The best way to bounce back from such a series, is (to) start off another series in a good manner, so the first two Test matches become extremely crucial going ahead,” Shastri told The ICC Review.

“The most important thing will be to ensure that they start off well; they keep the players in a good state of mind. That will be the most important thing for the coach,” he added.

India's former head coach shares an important advice for the team ahead of the #WTC25 series against Australia ????#AUSvINDhttps://t.co/6ifbq6l18V

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Shastri also urged the Indian team to draw inspiration from their feats in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 series in Australia.

“It’s playing on their mind, confidence-wise. You can’t go to the negatives. Think about the positives. Think about what you did in Australia last time around and take it ahead from there. Put what (has) happened behind you. These are different conditions and some of the tracks in Australia when you get in are probably the best to bat. I think it will be totally different, the conditions when they get out there,” he said.

India are coming into this series with their backs against the wall with the team coming under intense criticism after the New Zealand whitewash which ended their unbeaten run at home that lasted over 12 years and 18 series.