Captain Shikhar Dhawan was all praise for the aggression as well as maturity shown by the youngsters that helped India dominate Sri Lanka and romp to a seven-wicket win in the first ODI in Colombo on Sunday.

Prithvi Shaw began the onslaught, and then debutants Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav kept tormenting Sri Lankan bowlers that enabled India to canter home with 80 balls remaining.

“All our boys are very mature as well as aggressive. The way they played in this game was tremendous. It was good to be on the other end and watch Prithvi and Ishan bat,” Dhawan, who remained unbeaten on 86, said during the post-match presentation.

“I was actually telling them to take it easy. The way these young boys play in the IPL, they get lots of exposure and they practically finished the game in the first 15 overs,” Dhawan added.

Prithvi, adjudged Man of the Match, admitted losing “a bit of focus” after he was hit on the helmet by a short-pitched delivery from Dushmantha Chameera in the fifth over of India’s reply. He was dismissed in the next over.

Talking about his cameo, Prithvi said: “I went with my instinct and was looking for boundaries. As a batsman, I try to keep the scoreboard ticking. The pitch was good in the first innings and it got better during the second.”