India vs Australia 2019: 3 things that went wrong for India in the 2nd T20I

India was humbled for the second game running as the visitors chased down a daunting total of 191 with relative ease.

After being put into bat, the hosts rode on KL Rahul’s belligerent innings to get off to a decent start. However, the Indians went through a trough after the opener’s dismissal. Yet, the home side’s big guns, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli turned in vintage displays to carry the score to 190.

In reply, the Aussies were rattled early with Siddarth Kaul castling Marcus Stoinis in the 3rd over. Aaron Finch followed suit an over later as his vigil was cut short by Vijay Shankar.

D’Arcy Short and Glenn Maxwell then joined hands to stitch together a 73-run partnership before the former lobbed one to Rahul. The latter then had company in the form of Peter Handscomb and the duo took the visitors past the finish line.

The defeat at Bengaluru meant that the Indians were consigned to their second consecutive T20I series defeat.

Here is a look at three things that went wrong for India in the 2nd T20I:

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#1 India’s spinners fail to make inroads

Chahal failed to impact proceedings positively for India

Over the last year and a half, India’s strength has been its ability to nip out promising partnerships in the middle overs. The likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have distinguished themselves in that regard.

Yet, in the former’s absence, the latter looked lost at his IPL home and was largely ineffective.

The leg-spinner conceded a whopping 47 runs in four overs and was taken apart by Maxwell. None of Chahal’s tricks, be it bowling wide of off stump or firing the ball into the pads, worked.

Additionally, the reliable Krunal Pandya had a bad day at the office. The left-arm spinner ended up as the second most economical bowler for India but wasn’t as penetrating as usual.

The inability to dent the opposition meant that the Aussies were able to build partnerships in the middle overs and set the platform for a final onslaught.

However, India won’t be enduring too many sleepless nights due to their spinners’ lack of cutting edge for they’ve proven themselves over the past couple of years.

Yet, on the night, it was an aspect that went horribly wrong for the Indians.

#2 Glenn Maxwell’s onslaught

Maxwell was breathtaking at Bengaluru

The mercurial Glenn Maxwell was simply scintillating at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday evening. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 113 and carted the Indian bowlers all across the park.

The right-hander had an answer to every question the Indians posed and he seemed to be a step ahead of the bowlers at all times. Though one could argue that India could’ve been a bit more proactive in their plans, taking any credit away from Maxwell for a breathtaking innings would be extremely harsh.

Over the years, scores of fans and pundits have criticised the all-rounder for his eccentricity, yet on the days he gets going, there aren’t many better spectacles in world cricket.

Blessed with the attribute to pull off outrageous shots, the batsman has mesmerised and frustrated in equal measure. However, a fit and firing Maxwell is capable of single-handedly turning games on its head.

Hence, the Aussies would hope that he can continue his pyrotechnics with the World Cup on the horizon.

#3 Dhawan and Pant’s misery

Dhawan didn't enjoy the best of returns

Shikhar Dhawan was brought back into the fold for the final T20I as the Indian team tried a second opening combination in as many games. However, the left-hander looked off the pace and was scratchy throughout his stay at the crease.

Dhawan eventually finished with 14 off 24 balls and an appalling strike rate of 58.41. The slackness of his innings sucked the momentum out of India’s essay and left Kohli, Dhoni and Rahul with too much to do.

Another left-hander from Delhi had a similarly dismal outing. Pant walked into bat after Dhawan was dismissed and the stage looked set for the wicket-keeper to shine. Yet, a six ball innings later, people were again left enquiring if Pant is indeed ready to play white ball cricket.

In the Test arena, the wicketkeeper has already proven himself. Thus, his inexplicable form in ODIs and T20s (formats he’s more suited to), has led to several furrowed brows.

And with time running out to seal a World Cup spot, Pant could just miss out on the plane if he doesn’t get his act together.

As for the game at Bengaluru, India was on the receiving end of a truly fantastic Maxwell innings. Yet, it could’ve been so different had Pant and Dhawan helped India scale a higher batting peak.

After all, in a game where 190 was hunted down, the pair’s combined 15 off 30 balls ended up firmly tilting the scales in the Aussies’ favour.