'It wasn't a 120 wicket' - Dravid

Irfan Pathan was wrecker-in-chief, getting three of the top four Sri Lankan batsmen © Getty Images

Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, has praised his bowlers for a fine performance, wherein they dismissed Sri Lanka for a paltry 122 in the second ODI at Mohali.

"The opening bowlers got early wickets and the others also chipped in to keep the pressure on the batsmen. Overall, it was an exceptional performance," Dravid was quoted as saying by PTI.

Dravid said that the team had been working hard on all aspects of the game, especially their fielding, but cautioned against complacency. "It was definitely not a 120 wicket. We are not getting carried away as the Sri Lankans can always come back strongly."

Irfan Pathan, adjudged Man of the Match for his 4 for 37, said that the hard work in the nets had paid off. He also said that the pitch was a shade on the slower side but the swinging ball made bowling easier.

Marvan Atapattu, the Sri Lanka captain, conceded that India had outplayed his team in all departments of the game. He blamed the shoddy performance of the batsmen for their defeat. "We have to pull our socks and believe in our abilities to come back strongly as a group."

Tom Moody, Sri Lanka's coach, was unimpressed but said that his side could still bounce back. "The bottom line is that our peformance today was much below par," he admitted. "We batted very poorly. We failed to deliver and could not set a target which would have given our bowlers a chance to go at the batters."