'Great to see some pace unleashed by India'

Pleased with his fast bowlers show in the 169-runs win over Sri Lanka, skipper Virat Kohi said that it augurs well for the tours to Australia and New Zealand.

- Scorecard

Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav troubled the Lankan batsmen while the India batsmen scored heavily, posting a mammoth 363 for five.

"It was great to see some pace unleashed by India and it will be helpful in Australia. Great to see them hitting the line and lengths and bowl according to the field placements," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Asked about his decision to take an early power-play, Kohli said he was confident that move will pay off.

"Taking the responsibility of leading a young side, I like it and it excites me, especially with the World Cup coming up. Taking the Powerplay early worked well today. I bounced the idea off Duncan when I was sitting next to him because both batsmen were well set," he said.

‘I was happy to open’ 

India opener Ajinkya Rahane was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 111 off 108 balls. "Both my hundreds are equally important. The first 10 overs were slightly challenging but later on it got really easy for us. Shikhar and I really enjoyed batting in the middle," he said.

Asked about his role as an opener, he said, "The team asked me to open so I was happy to open. I'm just thinking of this series right now. We've started really well and will take one game at a time."

Missed Malinga and Herath  

Rival skipper Angelo Mathews felt the absence of experienced paceman Lasith Malinga and spinner Rangana Herath.

"Playing in India is always tough. We had to prepare as much as we could in the last seven days. It's a learning curve or the bowlers. It's an opportunity for all those who played today because there's not much experience in the camp. We let the batsmen off the hook after 10 overs. Rahane and Dhawan batted beautifully. Those two catches were crucial and Gamage looks like an exciting prospect," he said.