Sangakkara points fingers at seniors

Kolkata:

Having lost the series to India, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara on Thursday said the senior players in his side needed to watch out for juniors.

"The senior players have to watch out for youngsters. There is keen competition," the Sri Lankan captain said after the seven-wicket defeat against India in the fourth one day international at the Eden Gardens here.

Sangakkara said 315/6 posted by his team batting first was a fighting total. "We lost the game because we did not take wickets. In international matches you have to stick to a line and length, which our bowlers did not".

However, he praised the two spinners. "But the fast bowlers did not perform that well. They should have taken wickets".

Asked about the positives for his team from the series, the Sri Lankan captain said, "We chased big totals well. The debutants also showed responsibility".

He said the absence of five players - office Muttiah Muralitharan, medium-pacer Dilhara Fernando, all-rounder Angelo Mathews, Thilan Thushara and Dammika Prasad - due to injury proved crucial.

But he said though the visitors lost the series, it was one of the most closely fought in India. "We lost one of the most competitive series in India. In every match we were in a position where we could win, but we could not finish it off in the end".