Greats Ian Chappell and Marvan Atapattu were impressed by Sri Lanka's overall performance in their Asia Cup triumph.

By Nick Horsburgh

Despite India getting off to a good start, with Virender Sehwag hitting a brutal 60 off 36 balls, a stunning spell from 23-year-old spinner Ajantha Mendis, along with a strong all-round performance by the Sri Lankans proved too much for India.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell praised the overall performance, particularly those of the three key men Ajantha Mendis, Sanath Jayasuria and captain Mahela Jayawardene.

"I think you can put it down to two guys, Jayasuria and Mendis," said Chappell.

"And I think you've got to give credit to Jayawardene for his captaincy. He obviously understood the fact that he had to bowl India out to win the game and he went on the attack."

"So I thought it was a pretty good performance all round by Sri Lanka."

However, one man will no doubt steal the headlines: Ajantha Mendis. With six wickets for 13 runs he tore apart the Indian middle order.

Chappell was clearly impressed with the young bowler, commenting: "He impresses me a lot because apart from the fact he's difficult to pick, he maintains good line and length and bowls at the stumps all the time."

"If batsmen aren't picking you that makes it difficult because if you are a little unsure of which way the ball is going to turn and you know it's going to hit the stumps, you can't afford to miss it."

Chappell also echoed the comments of Sri Lankan wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who praised Mendis' "bowling brain".

"He's more than just a mystery spinner, he knows what he's doing," continued Chappell.

"With the ball that he got Sehwag with, which was a huge wicket for Sri Lanka, he obviously saw Sehwag coming at him and pitched it a bit shorter and wider."

"So you know he's got control and it's a good indication of what Sangakkara was saying."

Former Sri Lankan captain and Asia Cup winner Marvan Atapattu was also excited by Mendis' potential, but warned against the massive expectations and pressures that will be put on his young shoulders after this performance.

"He has tremendous potential and now has had a dream start," said Atapattu.

"But he has a long way to go."

"People expect a lot from him, and now they will expect six wickets next time he plays. Expectations are going to be skyrocketing."

"He needs to be contemplating each game and developing his bowling."

Like Chappell, Atapattu was quick to acknowledge the intelligence of Mendis' bowling, stating "Not only has he got patience, but he knows when to bowl."

"Knowing when to bowl is the key. You can have 20 different varieties, but you need to know when to bowl them."

"The fact he has that is a good sign, hopefully he can become an even better bowler."

As a former captain himself, Atapattu was also full of praise for Mahela Jayawardene, whose attacking tactics allowed Mendis' to flourish.

"It's very easy to admire (Jayawardene) after a win like this, but Mahela has been captaining the side well."

"We have had a lot of good moments, as well as bad moments, particularly in the recent past, but I think that is due to the fact people come and go more frequently then he would like them to."

"That makes the captain's job much more difficult."

"Mahela has been an attacking captain all the way, there is no doubt about that, but today he was exceptional in the way he handled Mendis.

Sri Lanka have a busy schedule in the coming months, with India visiting for a Test and ODI series only a couple weeks from now, as well as the ICC Champions Trophy taking place in September.

The win will be a huge boost to the Sri Lankan side, a fact which did not escape Atapattu.

"It's going to be huge."

"The most important factor is that they have found a formula; they can go into matches, particularly in the subcontinent, and can play on good wickets."

"And the formula they have found is I think ideal considering the powerplays and all that."

The depth of the current squad was another thing Atapattu was optimistic about, commenting: "Sri Lanka should be happy having found young players like Mendis and also having top players firing on all cylinders like Sanath (Jayasuria)."

"I think the future is looking bright, as long as the team knows they need to be working hard for their results."