Feeling in the group is great: Cummins

Despite another tense loss to India, Australia quick Pat Cummins says the feeling around the one-day squad has him believing his side can win from anywhere.

Australia went down to India by eight runs in the final over in Nagpur overnight after Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb and Alex Carey rallied late to leave the visitors just two lusty blows away from an upset victory.

It's the third time in the past five ODIs between these two nations that the game has come down to the last six balls, with India winning all three in Adelaide and Melbourne in January and again on Tuesday night at VCA Stadium.

While winning is the ultimate goal, just knowing his team can take an ODI powerhouse like India to the limit gives Cummins the confidence Australia are on the right track towards the World Cup, which is less than three months away. 

"We're taking every single game deep," Cummins said. "It comes down to a couple of overs, a couple of key moments which are the difference between winning and losing.

"That's all you can do is try to put yourself in those positions.

"The more you're in that the more you get used to it and kind of work out how you can do some things better.

"The feeling in the group is great, I feel like every time we walk on the field we're a real shot of winning a game no matter what the circumstances.

"We've still got quite a lot of cricket before the World Cup but I honestly think it's in a really good place at the moment."

Australia's chances of winning the second ODI fluctuated throughout the enthralling contest, from being way ahead at 0-83 chasing 251 to win being in strife at 4-132 having lost 4-49.

But steady partnerships kept the tourists in the hunt with Stoinis the constant figure in the pursuit.

His strategy was clear and almost paid off – needing 21 to win from the final three overs, Stoinis elected to take no risks against premier quicks Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah to see them off and set up a final-over showdown against allrounder Vijay Shankar.

Eleven runs were required when Shankar started his over, but Stoinis's plan came undone at the final hurdle when he was trapped by the Indian's first delivery to depart for 52.

With Stoinis at the crease, memories of his remarkable 146no at Eden Park in 2016 came flooding back, which had his teammates believing he could deliver an improbable win.

"When Marcus is there, you always feel like we're in for a chance," said Cummins.

"He's been the closer for us the last couple of years, played some unbelievable knocks and assesses the game really well. 

"So with him out there I thought we were a massive chance. He played it beautifully, the way he just counted down the balls, chose his bowlers.

"To have 11 off the last over against probably their fifth bowler is a pretty good position from where we were.

"He set it up beautifully – just wasn't his day, that last over."

Skipper Aaron Finch says not only will Stoinis benefit from last night's innings but so will the team as a whole.

"He'll learn a lot from that going forward with what we've got coming up over the next five or six months, that will hold us in good stead going forward to show how we can take it as deep as we did and in the future we'll get across the line," said Finch.

In the two matches of the series to date, Australia have been undone by superb innings from veteran MS Dhoni (59 not out in Hyderabad) and India captain Virat Kohli (116 in Nagpur).

Dhoni was also instrumental in India winning the Gillette ODI Series in January from 1-0 down, and Cummins says his teammates could do worse than to look the two Indian greats as to how to construct an ODI innings under pressure.

"I think we've got match-winners in the side," Cummins said.

"Games like today, you're trying to learn off those guys who won it for the other team and try to do it.

"It's one of those things. When you're one of the best sides in the world, you do finish those close ones.

"It is a bit of a habit, hopefully we win a couple of them and we'll be away."

Qantas Tour of India

First T20: Australia won by three wickets

Second T20: Australia won by seven wickets

First ODI: India won by six wickets

Second ODI: India won by eight runs

Third ODI: March 8, Ranchi

Fourth ODI: March 10, Mohali

Fifth ODI: March 13, Delhi