courtesy Pandya's blistering 66-ball 83 and MS Dhoni's 79 off 88 balls, India posted a competitive 281 for seven despite losing the top half for less than 100 after opting to bat.

And Kohli said India once again proved how good their lower-middle was.

"We spoke at the toss that we wanted to put on a big score. We lost wickets but MS (Dhoni) and Kedar played well. Hardik and later MS finished it off like he does.

"Today was an example of how good the middle and lower order can be," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.