Pune: As India lost to Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-match T20 series by five wickets at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, Indian skipper MS Dhoni said that the wicket was completely different to what they had been playing in the last one month or so.

“It was more like an English wicket. There was spongy bounce and variable pace,” said Dhoni, adding that the Indian batsmen played a few big shots that they could have avoided.

“Maybe not the kind of shots we should be playing on a spongy wicket. This was a 135-140 kind of a wicket because there was some help for the fast bowlers. It was more English conditions than Indian conditions. Our shot selection should have been better. Looking at the positives, everybody got a chance today and we kept pressing hard,” said the Indian captain.

Meanwhile, an ecstatic Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal said that he was over the moon. “I thought the toss was important. I saw some fresh grass on the pitch. But the credit goes to bowlers. They did a really good job. It's a young team. We tell them to back themselves and do what they are capable of. We miss a lot of senior players. However, the youngsters have put their hands up and grabbed the opportunity,” said Chandimal.