VISAKHAPATNAM, Feb 17: Mahela Jayawardene had no excuses after a shoddy performance with both bat and ball that cost Sri Lanka the chance to win a bilateral series in India for the first time.

With the exception of Chamara Silva, no other batsman crossed 28, and the Indians overhauled the 260-run target with ridiculous ease as the shadows started to spread across the lush green outfield.

Having taken a 1-0 lead in the series after a tense win at Rajkot, Sri Lanka batted poorly both at Goa and Visakhapatnam to hand India victory. "A lot of things went wrong, not just one," said Jayawardene, when asked to assess a performance that he’ll hope has little bearing on the World Cup encounter between the two sides on March 23. "Losing a lot of wickets early on was one of them. We knew the pitch was very good, and we probably needed 275 or 280 or even more. We knew there would be a little bit of movement early on, but we survived that. Then we lost wickets."

Having slumped to 56-4, Sri Lanka recovered to post 259 thanks largely to the efforts of one man. "The only bright spot from the whole match was Chamara Silva," said Jayawardene. "I thought he batted really well, with a couple of other guys chipping in.”

Silva made a superb run-a-ball 107 in his first outing of the series, showing the sort of form that inspired Sri Lanka to a famous Test win at Wellington last December. When asked if there had been a temptation to play him earlier in the series, Jayawardene said: "Obviously, we wanted to play him in at least two games. But unfortunately, the first game was washed out, and our middle order couldn't get a bat. We tried to give those guys a couple of games, and also make sure that every top-order guy got a hit. We always knew the talent that he possesses, and the way he batted in New Zealand. It's brilliant to see the way he batted, and it gives us confidence for the World Cup."

Having put a competitive total on the board, Sri Lanka then let the game slip with some woeful new-ball bowling. "Once again, we didn't start well with the new ball," said Jayawardene. "Defending a total like 260 on a pitch like that, it's crucial that we get early wickets with the new ball.”—Agencies