22 December,2009 11:23 AM IST | | PTI
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara on Monday blamed his batsmen for the seven-wicket loss to India in the third one-dayer and said they need to understand their responsibilities of converting a good start into a big total.
"I think it was just poor batting. We were 165 for one after 22 overs and after that we just lost our way. We were going in with a batsman short and the specialists had to step up and perform the job. I think it was some good bowling and bad batting that did us in," Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference.
He described the absence of all-rounder Angelo Matthews, who had to pull out of the five-match series after straining his quadriceps in Nagpur ODI, as a big loss for the side.
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| Angelo Matthews |
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"Definitely, it was a big loss for the team. He was one the guys who could have balanced the side, but unfortunately we lost him due to injury.
"At the end of the day, one guy doesn't make the entire side, even though he is an important player. We have to overcome these things," Sangakkara said.
He praised Indian stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag for leading the home team beautifully in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been banned for maintaining slow over-rate in the Nagpur ODI.
"I think he captained really well. He kept his cool on the field and his no-nonsense approach to batting was good for India today," Sangakkara said.
