Jayawardene urges strong finish

Mahela Jayawardene is looking for his side to end the series on a winning note

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Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene is desperate for his side to finish on a high by winning the final one-day international against India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men sealed a 3-1 series victory by posting a 46-run win - their third in succession at the Premadasa Stadium - earlier this week.

However Jayawardene said his team would not give in without a fight.

"We have some cricket coming up in the near future so it's important that we finish on a high note," he said.

"We played some really good cricket throughout the Test and one-day series and it will be disappointing if we just give up on the next game."

Sri Lanka won the three-Test series 2-1 and made a fine start to the ODIs by comprehensively winning the first match in Dambulla.

But the tourists staged a comeback to clinch the next three matches in a row.

Jayawardene believes his team failed to take their chances, but reserved special praise for his bowlers.

"Our one-day cricket has not been consistent," he said.

"We had our opportunities in the series, but our overall performance with the bat has been disappointing.

“The youngsters need the confidence to go out there and express themselves, and that's something we need to work on because they are the future of Sri Lankan cricket.

"The bowlers, however, have been outstanding especially Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekera.”

The pair were drafted into the squad after Farvez Maharoof and Lasith Malinga were ruled out with injury.

"Thushara seems a ideal replacement for Chaminda Vaas when he retires,” Jayawardene added.

"It's just that we haven't been consistent with our batting and whether it’s putting on runs first up or chasing down a target, we need to bat well."