India vs Australia: Did overconfidence cost Rohit Sharma & Co in Indore? Former cricketer claims

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India suffered a thumping nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia in the third Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The defeat came when a 4-0 cleansweep of Australia was being anticipated by former cricketers and cricket pundits.

Another turning track was rolled out and when India won a crucial toss and elected to field first, a chance of Australian win was completely written off. On similar tracks, India had won the Nagpur and Delhi Test by comprehensive margins to take a 2-0 lead and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

But what unfurled in the first hour was unprecedented for many. India were reduced to 45 for five and then bundled out for 109 in just 33.2 overs. Australia gained a 88-run lead before bowling out India again for 163. India had fallen in their own trap and Australia chased down the 76-run target in just 18.4 overs and with nine wickets remaining.

A question popped up: Did overconfidence cost Rohit Sharma & Co in Indore?

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has nodded in agreement. In the opinion of the former Mumbai batter, India tried to dominate early and gave the impression that they were very well aware about the nature of the pitch.

"I got the impression that India was carrying the hangover of the dominance that they had in the series so far. They won the toss and batted first for the first time," said Sanjay Manjrekar on Star Sports.

"So immediately the onus was on them to call the shots in the game and I thought they were just trying to dominate a bit too early and didn't suss the pitch out. So too many attacking shots under the assumption that they knew the pitch and that is where I guess where India faltered", he further added.

However, batting great Sunil Gavaskar thinks otherwise. In an interaction with Sports Tak, he stated that Test cricket is demanding and those playing are constantly under pressure. He opined that Indian players did nothing wrong by heading back to their respective homes after early finish of the Delhi Test as spending time with family helps a person relax and come back fresh.

"I don't think there was any complacency. The pitch was such that even the best batters in the world could not have hit a hundred," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.

India vs Australia: Crucial series-decider in Ahmedabad

India face Australia in the fourth and last Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from March 9 in Ahmedabad. A win in the match will see them qualify for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). In case they lose, their fate will be dependent on the result of the matches between the 2-Test series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka starting March 9.