In the first call with the recruiter, I clarified if they were comfortable with the expected CTC or not & she assured me that was not an issue at all. The process spanned 4 rounds (excluding HR conversations). The HR gave me much hope regarding company policies and how I mostly have positive feedback from the rounds. Eventually, lowballed me quite a lot! And if the team is reading this, it was disrespectful. Could have straightway not gone ahead if they didn't have the budget or declined directly if it was regarding performance in interviews.