Despite Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 72 off 38 balls, India lost the second and final T20I at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore by seven wickets on Wednesday.
The series defeat was India’s second on the trot in T20Is and also the first at home in limited-overs cricket in more than three years. This was after Glenn Maxwell’s 55-ball unbeaten 113 that helped Australia chase down a 191-run target.
Kohli was certainly disappointed with the defeat, but he also said he wasn’t “too bothered” with the results of a few T20 games before the World Cup.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, he said: “You never take any series lightly, but we are not too bothered by a few T20 games before the World Cup. Every team is just looking to fine-tune whatever they want to.
“We wanted to try some things in these two games and in the next five one-dayers as well. Every team is taking every series like that. But that said, you have to try and win every series that you play as a team. And when another team plays better than you especially in the shorter format, it’s very difficult to analyse that because T20 games can go anywhere.”
The skipper, nonetheless, was all praise for the opposition who recorded a series win on Indian soil after a long, long time. “Australia outplayed us in both games. They were clinical in all aspects and deserved to win.
“The 190 four for we put on board was a competitive total on any ground, but if there is so much dew as there was here and when you have an innings like the one Maxi played, they deserve to be on the winning side,” Kohli said.
He’s of the view that the dew made India’s bowlers task harder.
Though India lost the series, KL Rahul’s performance at the top of the order was certainly a positive for them. The scores of 50 and 47 at an impressive strike rate augur well for Rahul, especially after being suspended and kept out of international cricket for a while for his controversial comments on a talk show.
However, the time out from the Indian team helped Rahul reflect on his game and himself, he said. “It was a hard time, no doubt. As a player and a person, I think everybody has to go through difficult times. It was my time to go through such a period.
“It gave me time to reflect on my game, myself and I’m someone who takes things as they come. I’m just happy to be back here now.
“Obviously, there was little bit of pressure being away from the team. But having scored runs for India A and spending a lot of time with Rahul Dravid and chatting about cricket with him, I was confident.
“The talk-show controversy has humbled me. I respect opportunities that I have got to play for my country. I value where I am and will keep working on my cricket,” Rahul said during the post-match media conference.
