COLOMBO (Reuters)
Sri Lanka's coach Dave Whatmore said his team had got into the habit of saving their best for last after they beat India by 121 runs in the final of a triangular tournament.

"We've got a knack of producing our best in the biggest games. Sri Lanka at the moment seem to be saving their best for last," Whatmore told reporters.

For India, however, exactly the opposite holds true. This was India's eighth consecutive loss in a one-day final and they haven't won a tournament involving three or more teams since they beat Zimbabwe in 1998 at Sharjah.

"We were outplayed in all departments of the game today," said Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, whose side had beaten Sri Lanka in two of their three round-robin games.

"We bowled loose, dropped catches and batted badly. Having lost seven times in a row before this, we are obviously not playing well in the finals."

In Zimbabwe last month, India lost the final to the West Indies after winning all their league matches.

"We are giving away too many runs in the finals. It was a similar story here when we allowed Sri Lanka to pile up 295 for five from their 50 overs," Ganguly said.

Sri Lanka's charge was led by their captain Sanath Jayasuriya who was unfortunate to be dismissed for 99. But he said he wasn't disappointed. "When you start a match there is no guarantee of your getting a hundred. The most important thing is that we won, I'm thrilled," Jayasuriya said.

The left-hander said everything had gone according to plan for Sri Lanka on Sunday. "We won a vital toss because it's always good to bat first on the Premadasa Stadium wicket. After that, Avishka (Gunawardene) and I didn't get out early and the middle order came out and performed. Everything was spot on."

Gunawardene hammered 34 off 31 balls, Mahela Jayawardene scored 57 and Russel Arnold propped up the total, hitting six fours in his 45-ball 52 in the final overs.

"But even with 295 we weren't safe," Jayasuriya said. "India are a very good side and they could have hunted us down but the two initial wickets were crucial."

India lost openers Virender Sehwag (4) and Ganguly (1) off successive balls in the second over and could not recover, though Rahul Dravid and Vangipurappu Laxman looked comfortable during a 56-run stand for the third wicket.

"Once a side gets 290-odd, its really tough. A couple of quick wickets and things start to fall apart," Ganguly said.

New Zealand also took part in the triangular tournament.

India are staying on in Sri Lanka for a three-Test series staring in Galle on August 14.

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