India's captain says he drew energy from the near capacity crowd at the SCG after attendance restrictions were lifted and looks towards the day-night tour match with Australia A
Kohli primed for Adelaide Test after hitting stride in T20s
Virat Kohli is relishing the return of crowds in Australia but the superstar hopes there will be no repeat of a controversial incident at the SCG, where India were denied a crucial review and wicket.
Australia won the final Dettol T20 INTL by 12 runs, but India took the series 2-1.
Kohli failed to drag India to victory, however his bedazzling knock of 85 was full of shots that suggest the right-hander is physically and mentally ready for his first and only Test on tour.
Matthew Wade's 80 was the highlight of Australia's total of 5-186.
However, Wade would have been out on 50 if Kohli was allowed to proceed with a referral.
Umpires Rod Tucker and Gerard Abood initially accepted India's belated review of an lbw shout despite the fact a replay had flashed on the scoreboard.
"They referred it off the big screen," Wade objected.
Third umpire Paul Wilson quickly told his on-field colleagues that "it's a null and void review" as per the playing conditions that dictate no replays shall be shown on a big screen until the 15-second period for consideration expires.
The message was relayed to an incredulous Kohli, who walked away and shook his head after speaking with the umpires.
"That lbw was a strange one because we were still discussing whether the ball was going down and within the 15-second time frame they showed the replay on screen," Kohli told reporters.
"I had a chat with Rod, (asking) 'what do we do in this situation?'.
"He said nothing can be done, it was a mistake from TV.
"In a very important game this could be very costly. So that was a little bit of a miss from the guys upstairs."
Tuesday's T20 was played in front of 30,436 fans after the NSW government relaxed restrictions on crowd sizes for sporting events.
Few seemed to enjoy the atmosphere as much as Kohli, who is among the stars coming off an IPL that featured no crowds.
"This has been a pleasant change. You sometimes find yourself in difficult situations then the energy and passion of the fans pulls you through," Kohli said.
"That's one factor that has helped us.
"I've felt really, really good having crowds ... it gives you an added boost."
The classy batsman is unsure whether he will play India's pink-ball tour game, which starts at the SCG on Friday, or rest before the first Test starts at Adelaide Oval on December 17.
"If I feel great I'll definitely play. If not, I'll speak to the physio and trainer, and maybe get a few days off and be fresh for the first Test," Kohli said.
The day-night first-class tour match against Australia A will be live streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, available in most territories worldwide. It will also be broadcast on Sony Pictures Sports Network in India and on Foxtel and Kayo in Australia.
Kohli, who is returning home after the pink-ball Test for the birth of his first child, said he felt "particularly good" batting in the third T20.
"I was a bit scratchy in the first ODI but I addressed a few things ... when I get into a good headspace, I feel like I can play and switch between formats," he said.
"I'm in the right headspace."
Dettol T20 INTL Series v India 2020
Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, D'Arcy Short, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa
India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur
First T20: India won by 11 runs
Second T20: India won by six wickets with two balls to spare
Third T20: Australia won by 12 runs