Pat Cummins did not reach for excuses. Australia had lost a match they controlled for 40 overs, and their captain knew exactly where it had slipped.
“The first 40 overs were as good as we have bowled on this tour,” he said. “The last ten were not. That is the game. We will look at the lengths, not the result.”
Australia’s death-bowling plans have come under scrutiny after back-to-back games in which India have scored at more than ten an over at the back end. Cummins defended the approach, pointing to the execution rather than the strategy.
“You are always one good yorker away from a different game,” he said. “We did not land enough of them tonight.”