Having found his mojo back after a prolonged lean patch, Kohli was at his attacking best but slowing down cost him and India 20-25 runs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's head coach Tom Moody attributes role clarity for the team's success.
If it were not for Hooda's and Rahul's fighting 50s, LSG would not have had 169 to defend.
Coach Boucher ruing the absence of Aiden Markram during the series but was impressed by one Indian player
'But in the team, the environment is good and all are first-class fit and ready for second T20I'
Winless in two matches, both India and Afghanistan are out of the tournament and Thursday's match between the two sides in Dubai has been rendered inconsequential.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded four runs in the 19th over as the West Indies fell short by eight runs in an exciting finish.
Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Patel and Arshdeep Singh were the only bright lights in a poor India show at the T20 World Cup.
Their pace attack has been the most fearsome this IPL season but Sunrisers Hyderabad swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels it would be a tough task for his team to counter the marauding Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen when the two teams clash in the final on Sunday. Hyderabad edged out Gujarat Lions by four wickets on Friday in Qualifier 2 to set up a summit clash with Bangalore, who had beaten the same opponents in Qualifier 1. "We will definitely strategise because I read somewhere the other day that Virat Kohli has scored 35 per cent of RCB's runs. It'll be a big task for us to get (Chris) Gayle, Virat (Kohli) and AB (De Villers) and later, (Shane) Watson, out. We are hoping for a good contest," Bhuvneshwar said at the post match press conference in New Delhi.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the final ODI against South Africa?
India captain Shikhar Dhawan was all praise for his spinners too after they restricted Sri Lanka in the first T20 in Colombo on Sunday.
Rookie Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar has been drafted in the Indian squad for the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka with seamer Bhuvneshar Kumar and senior opener Shikhar Dhawan being released.
'He's come a long way since he's started. It's about winning and finishing games like these. In international cricket you need to tackle pressure differently. If he plays like this regularly, we will see his potential shine for India'
'We have got quite a few days before our next home game. If he's not available I don't see any issues. Bhuvi will lead our side since he's is our vice-captain'
Injuries have forced India to make changes to their winning combination. With Murali Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha returning home, the visitors are likely to field a new combination.
'Till about the second to last over, I thought we had it. Unfortunate run out of Tim David. But we thought we were very much in the game till that run out.'
India's white ball players have that imposing alpha-male like presence out there in the middle even if their best player Kohli is on the wane.
The fate of India's injured World Cup quartet of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be decided on February 7 when they undergo a rigorous fitness test ahead of the team's first warm-up game against Australia the very next day.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and South Africa at the Wanderers on Sunday
Prithvi Raj Yarra had played for Kolkata Knight Riders last year.
"Hard work always pays. I always believe that if you do hard work with good intention, it pays. My point is how to prepare myself best. One day result will go my side, other day it won't," Hardik said at the post-match press conference.
Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's swollen ankle has the Indian team management worried ahead of the fourth Test against England, starting at Old Trafford on August 7.
The swashbuckling Australia opener said the slow pitches in Chennai and Delhi will suit his team.
Plugging the runs at the backend of the Rajasthan innings and then getting Samson's wicket in the 20th over before Roy's assault -- not allowing Rajasthan's bowlers to settle tilted the match in Hyderabad's favour.
SunRisers Hyderabad speedster Umran Malik is the talk of the town for his lightning fast deliveries, and head coach Tom Moody says the young Jammu and Kashmir player has been given the license "to run in and express himself" with the ball.
Arshdeep has courage but needs experience
A look at how India's players fared at the T20 World Cup.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh highlighted the selection blunders in India's T20 World Cup squad and said though Rohit Sharma is the obvious choice to lead the side in white-ball formats, he is not a long-term option.
Should India bring in Ravichandran Ashwin and attack New Zealand with spin? Should they include all-rounder Shardul Thakur?
Damien Fleming termed Jasprit Bumrah as the 'x-factor' in the Indian bowling line-up
'It is long time to go for the (T20) World Cup, so early days to talk about how our batting will look like'
With the ball difficult to grip, the pacers had a tough time but once the spinners started operating India started to peg things back a little.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni again reiterated that he will not deviate from his strategy of playing five bowlers in the fifth and final Test against England, starting at the Oval, in London, on Friday.
With its back to the wall, Team India responded like champions, said coach Rahul Dravid in an inspiring dressing room speech after his young side registered a series-clinching win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Tuesday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he was not worried about the onslaught launched by Manan Vohra of Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match in Hyderabad, on Monday, as he is 'used to it'.
Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on the bowling attack of Sunrisers Hyderabad saying they have performed well even without their pace spearhead Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
'Washington bowled well in both the games. Bhuvi is a world-class bowler, everyone knows about it. It is good everybody has contributed to the team whether it is batting or bowling. Overall it is a good team performance'
Does India need two spinners for the Nagpur Test?
India's captain Virat Kohli could not wipe the smile off his face after beating Australia in the 2nd ODI at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
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