Very difficult to stop Shikhar Dhawan when he's in his happy zone, says Virat Kohli

Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Opener Shikhar Dhawan brought up his 11th ODI century during India's first ODI of the 5-match series against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Sunday.

Dhawan continued his fine run of form from the longest format of the game as he brought up 100 in just 71 balls.

Team India skipper Virat Kohli praised Dhawan after he guided his team to a nine-wicket win against the hosts.

"The last three months have been a great time for Dhawan and he's cashing in on his purple patch. Hopefully he stays in this happy zone and we’ll make sure he stays there, because he will win you games as long he's in it. Once he starts going, it's very difficult to stop him," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

India chased down the target of 217 in just 28.5 overs. Sri Lanka were off to a good start making 139 for one wicket in 25 overs before a collapse saw them being bowled out for 216.

''They got off to a really good start. We thought we would chase close to 300, it was a good pitch to bat on. The point of batting second was that it would come on later in the day. It came on like a dream.'' he said.

Talking about the 2019 World Cup, Kohli said that they need to prepare from now and they won't mind experimenting. He also said that there will be lot of changes in the playing XI of the team.

''Yes (we have our eyes set on 2019) . You have to prepare 24 months in advance. We’re going to experiment and embrace that. You can [expect to] see a lot of changes [from now on]. All the guys have bought into it. it’s all about what gives us more balance. Start of the series it's about getting the batting right.''

''Axar brings something with the bat and he’s a gun fielder. We felt one wrist-spinner was enough. In another match, we might bring in a pacer or play three spinners. It’s all about getting the balance,'' he said on dropping Kuldeep Yadav.

Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga also said that his team got off to a good start and should have capitalised on it but failed to do so.

''We started really well and after that we didn’t capitalise. The middle order collapsed. One stage, we were thinking of 300. If you want to score 300 in an ODI, someone has to get a big score. We have to learn from the mistakes. The main thing is someone has to get a big one. The bowling also has to become more consistent," he said.

Dhawan got the man-of-the-match award for his unbeaten 132, said that he wanted to play positive and focus on the process.

"Things have been going well for me and I’ve just been focusing on my processes. I have mental freedom and when you perform well, you have extra confidence. By the grace of god, things are going my way. Just wanted to play positively and on the merit of the ball today," he said.