(Cricket news) India defeated Australia by 6 wickets with a ball to spare in the 3rd T20I. The Men In Blue sealed the series 2-1 which was Rohit Sharma's 9th consecutive bilateral series win as the Indian captain. It was an incredible series as both the teams played some really good cricket. From India's point of view, there were a few positives and also a few negatives to take away from the series. India needed to bounce back after a disappointing Asia Cup and they did exactly that. Even though Australia were missing 4 crucial players, they were still a handful. India played what would be their strongest XI at the World Cup in this series which is a really good way to get the momentum going. 

Axar Patel was the biggest positive for India as he was named the Player of the Series. Jadeja's injury left a big void in the Indian side and Axar is filling that void at least with the ball. The left hander took 8 wickets in 3 games with an economy of 6.3 in what was a high scoring series. He will need to be tested more with the bat but with the ball, India will not be missing Jadeja. He has the ability to bowl in the powerplay and in the middle overs, both of which are equally effective. Australia will be a different challenge but with the bigger grounds in play, Axar Patel will be a tough customer for opposition batters to take on. 

KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat all played good innings in each game which is an incredible sign for India. The top 3 are incredibly crucial as far as India's batting is concerned. Even though they haven't been consistent recently, they have played well in this series. It is about time that the trio play a good innings in the same match. Suryakumar Yadav continued his incredible run of form as he finished as India's highest run scorer in the series. The right hander manages to play some ridiculous shots at tricky situations and gets India out of trouble more times than not. India's top 4 looks incredibly potent at this point in time. Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik are also playing their role perfectly by finishing things off.

Perhaps the only negative has been death bowling as India's premium death bowlers Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah are just back from injury. The South Africa series will be a big test for death bowling which is where India is truly lacking. Axar Patel bowling in the powerplay means that India will have more options in the death overs. Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel aren't a bad death bowling line-up but they need to step up their game in the South Africa series. Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be resting in the South Africa series while Arshdeep Singh will be back. It is still unclear whether Mohammed Shami will be available for the series.

Also read: Kuldeep Yadav hat-trick, Shaw blitzkrieg help India 'A' beat NZ 'A' and seal series