Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored a brisk 106 against South Africa, said opening the innings for his team has proved to be a big turning point in his career.
"I am in good form for last six month or one years and I want to deliver in this tournament also," Dilshan said.
"I have changed my batting order. I think this is the turning point for me. I open the innings which gives me opportunity to play my stoke and take my chances during the powerplays so that is the turning point I feel," he added.
Dilshan was dropped from the ODI side in September last year after his average slipped to 25.87 in 21 matches. When he returned early this year, he was promoted to open in ODIs and he produced sparkling form in all forms of the game.
Dilshan got the Player-of-the-Series award after amassing 317 runs at an average of 52.83 in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has asked his team to capitalise on the victory and get better as the tournament progresses.
"This game is gone. Whatever have happened its gone. So we have to go back to square one, back to the drawing book and see how we can improve and get better as the tournament goes on. We have got a good start but if we don't capitalise on it, this match will be worthless," Sangakkara said.
Sri Lanka registered a 55-run victory over South Africa via the Duckworth Lewis method in the rain-interrupted first one-day international of the Champions Trophy here last night.
Ajantha Mendis claimed three crucial wickets to help his team and Sangakkara said the right-arm spinner was one of the few bowlers which batsmen can never get enough of.
"One good thing about Ajantha is that even if you see him on and off in a couple of games but still it is a big challenge playing him," Sangakkara said.
The Lankan skipper believes his side has match-winners in Ajantha, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, whom he considers not a mystery but a little unorthodox.
"Especially with him (Ajantha) and with Murali and Lasith in our side, there are a lot of unorthodox, mystery not as much, but unorthodox match-winners. So we have our bowling attack in place as long as we can back that up with good fielding and minimise extras," he said.
Sangakkara said it was a big challenge to build up a defendable score against the South Africans.
"It was going to be a challenge trying to build a defendable total. History says that batting first or second does not make much of a difference here, so it was a case of doing our basics right and getting the partnership going.
South African skipper Graeme Smith said they didn't get their basics right and failed to implement their game-plan but hoped to come back strongly against New Zealand on Thursday.
"We can't make a excuse. We didn't get our basics right tonight," Smith said.
"We got to improve very quickly and we have one day in between before we meet New Zealand on Thursday and we have some planning to do for that game and hopefully we will get the performance which we know we are capable of," he added.
"I am in good form for last six month or one years and I want to deliver in this tournament also," Dilshan said.
"I have changed my batting order. I think this is the turning point for me. I open the innings which gives me opportunity to play my stoke and take my chances during the powerplays so that is the turning point I feel," he added.
Dilshan was dropped from the ODI side in September last year after his average slipped to 25.87 in 21 matches. When he returned early this year, he was promoted to open in ODIs and he produced sparkling form in all forms of the game.
Dilshan got the Player-of-the-Series award after amassing 317 runs at an average of 52.83 in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara has asked his team to capitalise on the victory and get better as the tournament progresses.
"This game is gone. Whatever have happened its gone. So we have to go back to square one, back to the drawing book and see how we can improve and get better as the tournament goes on. We have got a good start but if we don't capitalise on it, this match will be worthless," Sangakkara said.
Sri Lanka registered a 55-run victory over South Africa via the Duckworth Lewis method in the rain-interrupted first one-day international of the Champions Trophy here last night.
Ajantha Mendis claimed three crucial wickets to help his team and Sangakkara said the right-arm spinner was one of the few bowlers which batsmen can never get enough of.
"One good thing about Ajantha is that even if you see him on and off in a couple of games but still it is a big challenge playing him," Sangakkara said.
The Lankan skipper believes his side has match-winners in Ajantha, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, whom he considers not a mystery but a little unorthodox.
"Especially with him (Ajantha) and with Murali and Lasith in our side, there are a lot of unorthodox, mystery not as much, but unorthodox match-winners. So we have our bowling attack in place as long as we can back that up with good fielding and minimise extras," he said.
Sangakkara said it was a big challenge to build up a defendable score against the South Africans.
"It was going to be a challenge trying to build a defendable total. History says that batting first or second does not make much of a difference here, so it was a case of doing our basics right and getting the partnership going.
South African skipper Graeme Smith said they didn't get their basics right and failed to implement their game-plan but hoped to come back strongly against New Zealand on Thursday.
"We can't make a excuse. We didn't get our basics right tonight," Smith said.
"We got to improve very quickly and we have one day in between before we meet New Zealand on Thursday and we have some planning to do for that game and hopefully we will get the performance which we know we are capable of," he added.
© PTI
