Young opener Abhishek Sharma admitted that India’s batting unit was caught slightly off guard by the extra bounce and disciplined bowling in Australian conditions after a testing T20I match here on Friday. Playing his maiden international series in Australia, Abhishek said the visitors had anticipated pace and bounce but were still surprised by how effectively the home bowlers exploited the conditions.

The left-handed opener emerged top-scorer with a fighting 68 but Australia romped home by four wickets. “The challenge is that a lot of players, including me, are on their first tour here. We knew about the extra bounce and pace, but still the way they bowled, surprised us,” Abhishek said at the post-match press conference. “They were very disciplined with their line and length, credit goes to them.”