Ind vs Aus, 3rd T20I: Middle overs during batting cost us, says Kohli

Sydney [Australia], December 8 : Skipper Virat Kohli feels India's batting performance in the middle overs was the reason behind the loss in the third and final T20I against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
India were in a somewhat similar position during the second T20I and all-rounder Hardik Pandya's blistering knock had helped the Men In Blue chase down the target of 195 runs. However, in the third and final T20I, Australia secured a 12-run victory to avoud a whitewash.
Kohli said he thought India could win the third T20I looking at how well Hardik was batting but the visitors eventually fell 13 runs short.
"At one stage when Hardik started going we thought we could pull it off. The middle over phase during our batting cost us the game. A partnership of 30-odd would've made it easier for Hardik," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
"We are finding ways to come back and give the opposition a scare and the series win is a little asterisk for us to finish the 2020 season on a high," he added.
While India had already won the three-match T20I series after winning the first two games, Australia won the last game to finish the series 2-1.
"I feel the crowd was a factor as well, it's always giving you a dimension of motivation. Our crowd pulls us through sometimes, and Australia's too, and we as players feed off the crowd's energy," Kohli said.
India will now lock horns in the four-match Test series against Australia which gets underway on December 17. The first match will be a day-night affair and skipper Kohli will head back home after the first Test as he has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI.
Rohit's availability for the Test series is also not clear as his fitness will be reassessed on December 11 at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.