KANDY, March 15: Sri Lankan skipper Hashan Tillekeratne has told his team to bat positively against Australian leg-spin wizard Shane Warne in the second Test starting here on Tuesday.

"We were too negative against Warne in the first match and Australia capitalised on it," Tillekeratne said on Monday, as his team prepared to square the three-Test series following a 197-run defeat in the first match.

Warne posed plenty of problems to the batsmen in his first Test after serving a 12-month drug-ban. The Australian made history in the opening Test at Galle on Friday when he became the first spinner to capture 500 wickets during his match-haul of 10 scalps on a turning track.

None of the Sri Lankan batsmen could read Warne's shrewd variations in the second innings as the hosts were shot out for 154, chasing a target of 352. Warne will again be Australia's trump card as they hope to clinch a Test series in the sub-continent after two unsuccessful attempts. They lost in Sri Lanka in 1999 and then in India two years later.

"No doubt, Warne is a world-class spinner, but I think we defended against him too much. We allowed him to bowl so many dot balls. We hope to play him better this time," said Tillekeratne.

The Sri Lankan captain said his team would have to play more competitive cricket against a formidable Australian squad. "The first Test is history now. We have to rectify our mistakes and play really good cricket. We can do it as we have the home advantage."

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