Internet Desk: Indian batsmen failed to hold their nerve on a pitch which was assisting the pacers said India skipper Rohit Sharma today and according to the Mumbai batsman the first ODI at Dharamsala is an eye-opener for the home side.
“We were not up to the mark with the bat. 70-80 runs more and it would have been a different ball game. It is important to thrive in these conditions and come out good. It is an eye opener for all of us,” said Rohit at the post-match presentation ceremony here after a seven-wicket loss to Lanka.
The hosts got out on 112 and Sri Lanka chased down the target in just 20.4 overs. MS Dhoni was the lone warrior for the Men in Blue as he scored 65 runs on a bowling friendly condition.
Rohit said he was not surprised by Dhoni’s effort.
“He knows what to do in these conditions. I was not surprised. Someone batting with him would have made a big difference. There was still something in the pitch when we were bowling, but 112 was not enough runs on the board.”
Asked about his ODI captaincy debut in the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit said: “Not such a great experience. Nobody likes to be on the losing side. We have to focus on the coming back in two games and come as hard as possible.”
Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera praised his bowlers though he thought the surface was a tough one to bat on.
“Firstly we need to give 200 per cent credit to our bowlers; they did everything right for us, bowling in the right areas and right length.”
“Their discipline was excellent and that was the reason for our success. This was an unplayable wicket, we did not expect this. We thought around 250-260 but when we were bowling itself we realised that we had to keep them under 220,” said Perera.