Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.
India's bowlers capitalised on an impressive batting performance - that saw them post a total of 268 for six - to record an emphatic 81-run win and secure the nation's first Asia Cup trophy in 15 years.
"Its an ideal reflection," Dhoni said. "The guys were putting in a lot of effort, not only in terms of fitness but skills as well and its good that we've won the Asia Cup after a long time. I'm really happy with the performance over here.
"I think we got the start that was needed. The batsmen got the start, but couldn't really convert that into big innings, but still we were happy to get 268."
And their batting was just a prelude to a scintillating show in the field, with the Indian pacemen Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan shredding the Sri Lankan top order within the first 16 overs as they eventually fell to 187 all out.
"I know my bowlers very well," Dhoni added. "The fast bowlers really bowled well. I knew if we could get a few early wickets then we could put pressure on the Sri Lankan batting.
"We wanted to get (Tillakaratne) Dilshan out early because even if he stays for two or three overs he can just take 30-40 runs off you, so it was really good that we got him in the first over. The kind of bowling shown by Zaheer and Ashish was one of the best spells I have seen in these conditions."
Despite a disappointing loss in the dead-rubber tie two days ago against Sri Lanka, Dhoni insisted the final was all that mattered to his side.
He said: "It is a big game, and whatever you have done to get to the final, it doesn't make a difference anymore. Because if you don't win that final you're always talked about as the team that did not really do well, so it was an important win for us."
Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara admitted the difference lay in kind of openings both sides had to their respective innings.
He said: "The difference was in the first 15 overs, the way we bowled and the way they did, and also the helpful conditions. I think losing four wickets in the top order was not a great way to start."
The Sri Lankan keeper also underlined the lack of aggression during their run chase, saying : "I think 269 was probably a chaseable total. I think a bit more application and being a bit more tight in our batting and having a little more of an attacking mindset would have seen us through."
He added: "The Indian bowlers hit the areas pretty well with some good lines and lengths and they let the ball do the rest. We weren't really up to the mark from the start and unfortunately succumbed."
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