'You don't get harder conditions than this' - Matthew Wade labels tough Bengaluru conditions the last straw in their series loss

After Australia's narrow 6-run defeat against India at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, skipper Matthew Wade acknowledged that their batting faltered in the final overs. Wade praised the strong bowling performance in the initial innings. Commending McDermott's spirited display, he highlighted the impact of his bowling prowess in the game. He also emphasized the need to strengthen their batting in the crucial latter stages while lauding the team's bowling efforts early on.

India's ascent to 160/8 was fueled by Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer's pivotal 46-run partnership. Despite Australia's promising start, frequent wickets hampered their progress. The thrilling climax saw Australia requiring 10 runs in the last over. Arshdeep Singh’s resilient defense secured India's impressive six-run win. The wicketkeeper-batter, commenting on the pitch, remarked on its formidable challenge, emphasizing the unforgiving conditions faced by players.

"I thought we bowled relatively well. We kept them to a total that probably should have been chased at this ground. Disappointing last five or six overs (with the bat). There's always a temptation to get a lefty against the two spinners. Projecting forward to the World Cup, my role is going to be down there with Tim David and Marcus Stoinis. Looking forward to the World Cup. My job is try and get us home in situations like tonight,” Wade said at the post-match presentation.

"Would have been nice to get the result tonight. 3-2 would have been probably a reflection of where the series was, we played some good cricket, got outplayed at times but we learned a lot. McDermott bounced back from his first game to the second game tonight. Guys like Jason Behrendorff, Dwarshuis, Sangha had a real impact in this series. You don't get harder conditions than this," he added.

Australian batters were outclassed by agile Indian bowlers

Mukesh Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi struck early blows as Australia pursued the 160-run target, dismissing openers Travis Head and Josh Phillipe in the powerplay. Mukesh accounted for Phillipe's departure with a run-a-ball four, while Bishnoi dismantled Head on 28 off 18 deliveries. Australia, in pursuit of 161, managed 50/2 by the close of the powerplay. Bishnoi further impacted the innings by dismissing Aaron Hardie, who scored 6 off 10, in his subsequent over.

Following a partnership of 47 runs for the fourth wicket, Axar disrupted the alliance by dismissing Tim David for a steady 17 off as many balls. Meanwhile, Ben McDermott achieved his half-century but succumbed to Arshdeep after scoring a brisk 54 off 36 deliveries. Mukesh Kumar then struck on consecutive deliveries, eliminating Matthew Short for 16 off 11 and sending Ben Dwarshuis back to the pavilion without scoring.