Ahmedabad, March 16 (IANS) On a day when he single-handedly took on the England bowling with courage and skill, making an unbeaten 77 off 46 balls, skipper Virat Kohli attributed England's superior pace bowling as the reason for India's loss that saw the hosts go 1-2 down in the series.

"It was a bit difficult to bat against the new ball. The pitch was tacky and the bowlers were getting a bit of assistance. The England bowlers had pace and were hitting good areas. They attacked right lines and lengths and with their pace they became more potent. They were brilliant with the new ball and made our lives difficult," said Kohli after the match.

India were reduced to 24 for three in the first six overs following which the recovery, primarily powered by Kohli innings wasn't good enough.

The 32-year-old India No. 3 batsman had made an unbeaten 73 in the second T20I to help his team win. This time, his 77 not out came in a losing cause.

"If that (his innings) helps the team, then for sure (I am happy with my innings). You don't want to play knocks that don't help the team. The key was partnerships and we had one little partnership. It was important for me to bat deep. The case was to get set and try to get a decent total," added Kohli.

India had a poor start losing K.L. Rahul early. The right-handed batsman was dismissed for a duck for the second successive time. He had made just one in the first match.

Kohli, however, defended him saying that he needs to be given a long run.

"I was going through a lean patch two games ago. He (Rahul) has been a champion player and he will continue to be one of our main batters along with Rohit (Sharma) at the top of the order. T20 is an instinctive game. It's a matter of five-six balls in this format," added Kohli.

The talismanic India batsman said that India lacked intensity.

"We lacked intensity in the second half -- in our body language in the second innings."

--IANS kh/kr