Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said India need to be more consistent if they want to be the best team in the world.

Speaking to Mobile ESPN after India's massive loss to Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Monday, Akram said:

"India have to be more consistent and work hard if they want to be the numver one side in the world."

"India should at least win consistently in the continent. They lost to Sri Lanka in the final of the STAR Cricket Asia Cup, lost the Test series and lost the first ODI."

"The Indians can say that they could not read Ajantha Mendis in the final of the Asia Cup. That is a fair enough excuse but they played against him in the Test series, grabbed 26 wickets and again bagged three wickets in Dambulla. You have to have a strategy against Mendis."

The former sultan of swing said maybe the Indians should plan to try and not give Mendis any wickets to begin with.

"India should look not to give any wickets to Mendis. Maybe, they could score only thirty runs off ten overs but they cannot afford to keep giving him so many wickets. With Muttiah Muralitharan at the other end, it would be disaster."

The highest wicket taker in ODI's said India were the definite favourites to win the first ODI, given their strength, at least on paper.

"India have had a great ODI record recentlyand they have a dynamic captain in MS Dhoni. They have a young side and a brilliant fielding unit."

"Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first. The wicket did not have grass and the fast bolwers did not pose a lot of threat."

"The Indian batsmen again lost wickets to Mendis and Murali. What India should have done was not taken too many risks against Mendis."

"With just 147 required to win, it was just a matter of time before the Sri Lankan batsmen rattled off the runs."

Akram opined India could have made bit of fight with the total had their new ball bowlers plucked off some early wickets.

The former Pakistani all rounder said Sri Lanka have shown that they are a dangerous side: "The Lankans have shown they are a very good side and that they should not be taken lighly."

For now, India will have to think of breaking the Lankan jinx, because dangerous or not, India need to redeem some pride.