Mahela bemoans series loss, says "lot of things went wrong"

Visakhapatnam, Feb 17 (UNI) Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene today rued his team's series loss to India and said losing early wickets did the team in.

''A lot of things went wrong, not just one. Losing wickets early on was one of them,'' he said after his team's crushing defeat in the fourth and final ODI here.

''We knew that the pitch was very good. We probably needed another 30 to 40 runs,'' he said.

''To defend a score like 260 on a pitch like this, it is crucial that we claim early wickets with the new ball. But we failed to do it,'' he added.

''We didn't start well with the new ball. We bowled too many wides and no balls. From that point we lost momentum'', Mahela lamented and added the lone bright spot in the match was the century by Chamara Silva. ''He batted really well, with a couple of other guys chipping in''.

''We always knew the talent he (Chamara) possesses. We saw him in New Zealand. It was brilliant to see the way he batted and it gives us confidence for the World Cup.'' Mahela also expressed disappointment with his own batting form over the last couple of months.

UNI