Dhawan confident of India prevailing in series decider

On the eve of the ODI series decider here against Sri Lanka, India opener Shikhar Dhawan expressed confidence on the hosts' ability to demolish any side.

"The calibre we have got, once we settle, we can demolish any side," Dhawan said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

India have a brilliant home record, having not lost a series here since the defeat to South Africa in October 2015, whereas Sri Lanka have never won a bilateral series in India, having lost eight and drawn one.

Asked if India will play under pressure in the series-deciding match, Dhawan said: "It is a final game for us but we are used to it. We have strong side and we believe in our ability and skills, so we are just going play it like any other game".

Dhawan, however, cautioned the hosts against any sort of complacency going into the series decider as he felt that the islanders will come prepared.

"We have learnt a lot of things when we played in Kolkata and Dharamasala. It was a seaming and damp wicket. We went with a positive intent though it did not go our way.

"We all learnt from it. It is good that sometimes you fall, and then you learn a lot of things out of it," he added.

The series is currently locked at 1-1 after the hosts bounced back in style to win the second ODI at Mohali, thanks to skipper Rohit Sharma's record third double ton.

Sri Lanka won the opening game by seven wickets at Dharamsala.

--IANS

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