Sent into bat, Sri Lanka first rode on Upul Tharanga's career-best unbeaten 174 and Mahela Jayawardene's 107 to pile up a mammoth 348 for one yesterday and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs.
"It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball. The Sri Lankans batted really well, and we did not. To chase down 349, you need a quick start, we were not able to do that, that did not give us momentum," he said at the post-match press conference.
"It was a reality check for us, we have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go. This is going to hurt the guys a little bit."
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews praised the opening duo of Tharanga and Jayawardene for setting the platform for the victory with the 213 run opening stand.
More From This Section
"We needed that, especially after losing the toss, we were on the back foot. Mahela showed his class. Upul struggled a bit initially but batted through and was brilliant later.
Man-of-the match Tharanga said he and Jayawardene played sensibly initially to ensure a good start for Sri Lanka.
"We needed to get a start because we lost the toss on a sticky wicket.
"The first 10 overs were crucial. They (India) bowled well upfront. So we had to ride that, and then we put the pressure back on them," he said.