After conceding the ODI series 1-2, Team India bounced back emphatically to win the T20I series in the ongoing tour of Australia.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya played an instrumental role with the bat during the T20I series, scoring 78 runs in three matches, including a match-winning knock of 42 not out in 22 balls in the second game.

See Also: ‘Test cricket is a different challenge and Hardik needs to bowl’, says Virat Kohli

India were without the services of Rohit Sharma the entire white-ball series while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami were rested in multiple matches.

Speaking to Times of India, head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on the team’s performance and showered rich praise on Pandya.

"Winning the T20s without Rohit and Bumrah was a huge achievement. What's essentially working beautifully for this team is players standing up to these responsibilities. In that, Hardik has been a natural. His game awareness is second to none. He's one of the cleanest strikers of the ball I've seen in the game," Shastri said.

Left-arm pacer T Natarajan also impressed one and all with his impressive performance in the white-ball series, claiming eight wickets from four outings.

"That's because he was picked only as a net bowler. He got the opportunity and turned into a golden one. The credit goes to the team management and support staff for believing in him, working with him and instilling that confidence. He's got a long journey ahead of him," the coach stated.

Both the teams have now shifted their focus to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting with the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval on December 17.

Before that, India and Australia will also face each other in a three-day warm-up match with the pink ball.

"The three-day game (warm-up) is a good thing to happen. It'll give our players an opportunity to experience it and see what happens with the ball at what times. That's the crucial bit. It's new to everybody. We haven't really played anything much (with the pink ball)," Shastri said.

The coach also spoke about the struggle his wards faced during the lockdown as they were not free to move around the country unlike the Australian team.

"If you remember the lockdown in India, nobody could move out. Barring players who were lucky to be in smaller towns, with large houses, who could've had access to private open areas. But in cities like Mumbai, Delhi - everybody was locked inside their houses or apartments. It was extremely torturous," he remarked.