MOHALI: India lost to the world champions Australia by four wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series on Tuesday, and captain Rohit Sharma blamed his bowlers and fielders for their subpar performance.

While the batsmen performed admirably, Hardik Pandya (71 not out), K.L. Rahul (55), and Suryakumar Yadav (46), who made a late charge with three sixes off the last three deliveries of the innings, helping the hosts achieve 208/6 in 20 overs -- their highest score in a T20 against Australia.

Despite defending a high total, according to Rohit, his bowlers did not bowl well.

"We didn't bowl that well, in my opinion. We didn't take any chances on the field, but 200 is a big score to defend. I think that's it "At the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium's post-game ceremony, Rohit Sharma stated.

Rohit said it was all a matter of taking one wicket to seal victory in the match, between Wade and (18 Tim David off.

For us, the difference between Wade and Tim David came down to just that one wicket. We were unable to accomplish it. I think they get a 60-odd partnership in 32 balls, which was a turning-point from their perspective," said Rohit.

The India skipper the defeat makes the match a great opportunity to realise what went wrong and where the team faltered.

"I believe we played outstanding batting to reach that total. It was a terrific game for us to learn from our mistakes and improve for the next game," he added.

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