Indian skipper MS Dhoni said he misread the wicket in Dambulla after his team lost to Sri Lanka by eight wickets on Monday.

Speaking to a TV channel after the match, Dhoni said: "We misread the wicket. This is not taking away anything from the Sri Lankans. Their pacers bowled beautifully and got wickets in the early overs."

"They built the pressure on us and we wilted."

Dhoni also admitted he missed Virender Sehwag in the batting ranks: "We did miss Viru today. The wicket did a lot more than we expected and a lot longer."

The Indian captain, who himself managed a mere six runs off 28 balls said the batsmen let the side down: "We simply did not bat well enough. But our bowlers did a good job, trying to restrict 146,which was never going to be enough."

India take on Sri Lanka on Wednesday for the second ODI at the same venue and Dhoni conceded it was good to take some time off.

"We will take some time off. It will help us focus back on the cricket again. That is what we need to do."

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene said his team was getting into the good habit of winning regularly.

"Winning is a good habit. Today, we knew we could control the Indian batting if we got early breakthroughs."

"There was something in the wicket with the new ball and we kept working hard. There was no pressure on us."

The stylish right handed batsman himself pinched in with an unbeaten half century after Sri Lanka lost opners Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumara Sangakkara early on.