Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh admitted they were not able to build partnerships while chasing 168 runs in the fourth T20I at the Gold Coast on Thursday. India registered a convincing 48-run win to take a 2-1 series lead.

Australia got off to a decent start in the run chase as they were 91-3 but they were eventually bowled out for 119. Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Short scored 30 and 25 runs respectively but none of the other batters could even go past the 20-run mark.

Axar Patel was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he returned with impressive figures of 2-20 in his quota of four overs. Furthermore, Washington Sundar bagged 3-3 in 1.2 overs he bowled.

Marsh thought the score of 167 was par on the Gold Coast wicket, but the hosts could not bring their best with the bat.

Mitchell Marsh said in the post-match presentation, “Walking off I thought around 167 was par on that wicket. The wicket provided a few challenges with the bat. In those situations, you just need a couple of partnerships, and we weren’t able to build that. So, fair play to India, they’re a world-class team, especially in these conditions.”

Marsh said they would have wanted a full-strength team, but said players are preparing for an all-important Ashes series.

He concluded, “In an ideal world, you’d have your full-strength side every game, but some of the boys have a big series coming up. We also like giving guys opportunities leading into a World Cup. More opportunities guys get in games like this with high pressure, I think it’s great.”

The fifth and final T20I of the series between Australia and India will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane, on Saturday.