India might have suffered an embarrassing whitewash at the hands of New Zealand on home soil, but Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood is wary of the Rohit Sharma-led side.

In the wake of the 3-0 series loss, the team finds itself in a precarious position where they can lose out on a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald, Hazlewood said India's confidence would have taken a hit from the recent humiliation at home but they might make a strong comeback due to the experience players in their ranks.

“It might awaken a sleeping giant, so to speak. We’ll see that when they come out," Hazlewood stated.

“It’s obviously better them losing 3-0 than winning 3-0, easily. The confidence might have taken a bit of a hit. A lot of them have been out here, but there’s a few batters who haven’t, so they’ll be a bit unsure of what to expect. I don’t think you can read too much into it," he further added.

The seamer also congratulated the Kiwi team, saying that an Indian whitewash was a great result from Australia's perspective as it helps them in the race for the WTC final, slated to be held at Lord’s in June next year.

India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are in the race for two spots as the competition spices up in its final leg.

"The results are obviously good for us in a way. Credit to the Kiwi boys. They played outstanding cricket. To win 3-0 in India is unbelievable. It’s hard enough to win one game there, let alone every match of the series,” Hazlewood remarked.

Notably, India and Australia are slated to square off in a five-match Test series for the first time in over three decades.

The marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth and the action will then shift to Adelaide (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).