Colombo, February 8 Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka hailed Kamindu Mendis's innings as the turning point, saying that he batted with such ease that it felt like he was playing on a completely different surface, after the 20-run win over Ireland in their T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday.
Kamindu blasted a 44-run innings off 19 balls after the innings was slow, lifting the hosts to a competitive 163 for six, which Sri Lanka defended with combative spells from Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga to begin their campaign on a high.
"Well-deserved victory. Very happy with the overall performance. The start was a bit of a struggle, but Kusal (Mendis) held it in the end, with Kamindu Mendis's innings being the turning point," said Shanaka after the match.
"He (Kamindu) batted as if he were on a different pitch. Really happy with his comeback and expect a lot from him in the coming games. I expected the pitch to be flatter with the grass on it.
"Initially, I thought the toss would be crucial, but it helped us in the second phase – it slowed down a bit," he added.
The captain revealed that leg-spinner Hasaranga, who claimed three wickets, was dealing with a slight hamstring issue, but it was nothing serious.
"The confidence from the bowling unit carried over from the last game. Wanindu had a problem with his hamstring – hopefully, it won't be serious. Maheesh bowled well in the middle overs," he added.
Player of the match Kamindu said that he initially thought the wicket could yield around 170 runs, but while batting, he realized that a total of 160 would be enough to defend.
"Credit goes to our bowlers. Maheesh and Chameera bowled well. We thought it would be a 170-plus wicket, but when playing the spinners, it felt like a 160 or something (pitch).
"We just wanted to put 160 on the board, and we just defended it. It was a good game, a good start to the tournament," he said.
Paul Stirling, Ireland's captain, lamented the runs his side conceded and admitted that the lack of experience showed on the field against Sri Lanka.
"To be honest, we felt they got 15-20 runs too many. At the start of the day, we would have been happy chasing it. But you could find 20 runs almost anywhere in the match. When the match was on the line, we were not as clinical.
"A bit sloppy in the field. Experience told today. At the end, it was the difference (between us and them). They defended well at the back end. They upped the ante and put the squeeze on," said Stirling.