Defeat a reality check: Kohli

The punishing 161-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka was difficult to digest and a "reality check" for his side,stand-in skipper Virat Kohli

The punishing 161-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka was difficult to digest and a 8220;reality check8221; for his side,stand-in skipper Virat Kohli said as India suffered its second successive defeat in the cricket tri-series. Sri Lanka piled up 348 for one and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs. India are now in a position,where they need to win the remaining two games to qualify for the final.

8220;It was a reality check for us,we have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go. This is going to hurt the guys a little bit,8221; Kohli,leading the side in place of injured skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni,said.

Kohli said the bowlers let them down in the match and a slow start in the chase too was responsible for the debacle. 8220;It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball. The Sri Lankans batted really well,and we did not. To chase down 349,you need a quick start,we were not able to do that,that did not give us momentum,8221; he said.

India scored just 28 runs in the first 10 overs and lost opener Rohit Sharma. Asked about the need for sending a pinch-hitter while chasing the total,Kohli said,8221;The way we have been batting,I don8217;t think we needed to consider that option. It didn8217;t happen today.8221;

8220;It was a reality check for us,we have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go. This is going to hurt the guys a little bit.8221;

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews praised the opening duo of Tharanga and Jayawardene for setting the platform for the victory with the 213 run opening stand. 8220;We needed that,especially after losing the toss,we

were on the back foot. Mahela showed his class. Upul struggled a bit initially but batted through and was brilliant later. 8220;We needed to get that 250,bowlers never let us down if we score 250. Hats off to Mahela and Upul. I am doing my bit the way I can,8221; he said.