MUMBAI: The Indian team might have been pilloried for suffering a 4-0 loss in the Test series against England but Australian pacer Brett Lee on Friday sympathised with Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men by saying he knew how difficult the conditions can be in "Old Blighty".
Asked about the whitewash suffered by Dhoni's men against England, Lee said while India would be hurt by the rout, he was certain the team would bounce back.
"The loss is going to hurt India. But they are very difficult conditions to play with the ball seaming and swinging around, which we found out in the 2005 Ashes series. I am not surprised they (England) are playing very well," he said on the sidelines of a promotional event for apparel firm Alok Group on Friday.
Lee was referring to the 1-2 defeat suffered by the then high-flying team led by Ricky Ponting against the Michael Vaughan-led England after the Aussies had gone 1-0 up by winning the series opener at Lord's.
"England played really well and you would point your fingers at India when they lose 4-0 and India hasn't played the best cricket. But look at the other side of the fence as well and think may be England has played some very, very good cricket. But I think they (India) will bounce back," he added.
Looking ahead to Team India's visit to Australia later this year for a four-Test rubber followed by a triangular ODI series, Lee said though he is no longer a part of the Test squad, he wanted the rubber to be a competitive one.
"India are visiting Australia later this year and though I am not part of the Test squad I hope Australia do well and it (series) is competitive," said the 34-year-old New South Welshman, who had grabbed 310 wickets from 76 Tests before quitting the longest format of the game.
Lee also gave a big thumb's up to the Argus committee's recommendations to Cricket Australia decision, following a review of their Ashes defeat in 2009 at home, to include the captain and coach as part of the selection panel.
"I'm not an expert to talk about it, but if it's going to improve Australian cricket it's a win-win situation. In other sports the captain-coach play a vital role [in selection]. To me it makes sense. The captain is well qualified person for the job and Michael Clarke and coach can make a direct impact on team selection. It strengthens Australian cricket," said Lee, who quit Test cricket to prolong his international career.
India is currently grappling with injuries with two of its frontline pacers -- Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma -- out of the team and Lee, who himself had to struggle through out his career against injuries, said fast bowling remained the toughest job in cricket and it was up to the individuals to maintain fitness.
"Fast bowling is the toughest job in cricket. You have to work hard to stay strong and fit. You need to know your body. You need to love it (fast bowling) too. Enjoyment is the most important thing in life. If you do believe in something, then you are going to get a lot better out of it and have fun along the way," said the blond pacer, who has taken 357 wickets from 205 ODIs.
"When you land on your front foot, 15 times of your body weight lands, so a lot of pressure is there (on the foot). It is hard work in hot and gruelling conditions, but it is also a lot of fun. You got be strong and fit and you got to train hard. I wish them all the very best because we love to see fast bowlers around the world," Lee said.
