'We were not up to the mark with the bat. 70-80 runs more and it would have been a different ball game.'
India's batsmen came a cropper under pace-friendly conditions, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to say that the forgettable performance against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Dharamsala on Sunday is an eye-opener for the hosts.
"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 after India's crushing seven-wicket loss to Lanka.
India collapsed to 112 all out and Sri Lanka completed the chase in just 20.4 overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the lone Indian batsman who was up to the challenge, hitting a gritty 65.
Rohit said he is 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.
