India vs Australia T20Is 2019: 3 positive things to look forward to for the Indians

With a nail-biting loss in the first match, Indians would look to redeem themselves by levelling the series in Bengaluru and escape a home series defeat for the first time since 2016 in T20.

From 68-1 in 8 overs to finish off with 126-7 in 20 overs, India's dismal batting performance has thrown some questions. Should Dhoni have been more fluent with the bat or the likes of Karthik and Pandya could have been more sensible with their approach looking at the situation?

In hindsight, Kohli will be cursing himself too for throwing his wicket away with a poor shot selection in the 9th over, after building a steady partnership with Rahul.

Despite the batting collapse and Umesh Yadav's inexcusable 20th over, India should be proud of their bowlers to take the game to the last over with defending a meagre score of 126.

Few positives are there for the Indians to look forward ahead of the last match of the series in spite of their loss.

#1 KL Rahul's Comeback Innings

KL Rahul showed a glimpse of his vintage batting in his comeback match. He was given the chance to open the batting with Rohit Sharma, ahead of India's regular in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands with a gritty 36-ball 50.

His intent was clear from the word go. Unaffected by Rohit's early dismissal, he played with freedom. His innings was comprised of 6 fours and a six. Along with Kohli, he laid a solid foundation.

Australian bowlers did not get the opportunity to settle down with Rahul's time and again strokeplay. Using the crease and also stepping out to the spin was a spectacle of his positive footwork.

Team management will be very happy with Rahul's performance, as India's hunt for the third opener in the World Cup is still on.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah's Performance

Bumrah stands up and delivers to the occasion irrespective of the match situation, especially in the death overs. It was no exception on Sunday also. With his mind-boggling 3-16 from 4 overs, Jasprit Bumrah made a strong statement yet again, coming from a break. He also became the fastest and second Indian bowler after R Ashwin to scalp 50 wickets in T20 international cricket.

Bumrah gave Indians the coveted start while defending a low total of 126. Consistently hitting the deck with his impeccable line and lengths lead to building up the pressure for the Australian openers in no time. As a result of this, Finch was trapped in with an inswinging delivery. Continuing his lack of footwork against the Indian seamers, he was beaten for pace once again.

Bumrah came, saw and conquered the penultimate over by just conceding 2 runs and picking up two vital wickets. One of Handscomb, with a well-directed bouncer, followed by rattling the stumps to get rid of Coulter-Nile. An eventual loss with Umesh giving away 14 runs in the final over is certainly a bitter pill to swallow for the Indians in spite of Bumrah's magical 19th over.

#3 Effectiveness of Spin Bowlers

Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya and debutant Mayank Markande's collective effort with the ball in the critical junctures of the match revivified the team and put Indians in a fighting position from nowhere.

Despite being less than 6 runs per over required with 7 overs to remain and well-settled Maxwell in the crease, Chahal did not hesitate to toss up the ball in his last over. Courtesy of his fearless approach, he pulled back the drowning ship with the big scalp of Maxwell.

Krunal Pandya also had a superb outing with the ball, with figures of 1-17. With 26 needed off 24 balls, Pandya strangled the opposition by conceding only 5 runs and brought the pressure back on to the Aussies by getting rid of Ashton Turner.

Young debutant Mayank Markande was also fantastic. Not only did he show his composure by bowling the crucial 18th over but also restricted Australia with only conceding 5 runs.

Contributions from the spin bowlers will work as a morale booster for Kohli and his team with going into the final match.