Sri Lanka lost the three-match T20I against India 2-1.
On the eve of the opening ODI, visiting skipper Dasun Shanaka addressed a press conference, where he said that he's counting on the positives from the T20I series and admitted that they need to be more competitive to get the better of the home team.
Sri Lanka came close in the first T20I before losing by two runs while they defeated India by 16 runs in the second game. In the decider, however, the tourists were totally outclassed as they suffered a 91-run thrashing to concede the series 2-1.
"None of the teams in recent past except for South Africa have won in India. Even we gave a good fight in Mumbai. But they came stronger, we need to play competitive cricket," Shanaka told reporters on Monday (January 9).
"It's an important tournament for all Sri Lankans because the World Cup is going to be held here in India, so looking forward to this series."
"It's a very good preparation, the conditions would be similar. The boys are ready for that, they know the importance of this tournament," he added.
Dasun Shanaka was Sri Lanka’s top run-getter in the T20I series, returning with 124 runs at a strike rate of 187.87.
"Before coming here, I really wanted to do well, practised more, it's very important to play well in India."
The Sri Lankan captain feels that the first ODI in Guwahati will be a high-scoring one.
"We have seen the deck and it appears to be a high scoring game."
The visitors were blown away by Suryakumar Yadav’s whirlwind knock in the third T20I as he slammed 112* off 51 balls to propel the hosts to a gigantic 228/5 in 20 overs.
When asked how he plans to stop the in-form Indian batter, Shanaka replied: "This is a familiar question for all the captains. Suryakumar is a 360-player with the form he's in. It's about bowling in the right areas and executing your plans well."
(With PTI inputs)