India captain Virat Kohli, who is leading the side in place of injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has admitted that it was a "tough day" for him in office after Sri Lanka thrashed his team by 161 runs in an ODI tri-series match here.
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.
Asked about the necessity of sending a pinch-hitter while chasing the total, Kohli said, "The way we have been batting, don't think we needed to consider that option. It didn't happen today.
"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.
"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.
"We needed to get that 250, bowlers never let us down if we score 250. Hats off to Mahela and Upul. I am doing my bit the way I can," he said.
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.
