After the first Test between Sri Lanka and India ended in a high scoring draw here in Ahmedabad, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara looked at the positives and said his team’s confidence was high after some impressive performances throughout the five days of the Test match.

Apart from former captain Mahela Jayawardene’s 275, there were centuries by opener Tillekeratne Dilshan and Prasanna Jayawardene, alongside a superb first spell of left-arm fast bowling by Chanaka Welagedara.

Sangakkara was happy with the individual performances of these players, but didn’t believe that his team enjoyed a major advantage leading up to the next game in Kanpur.

"It’s going to be even when we go to the next location. We all have to start afresh. It was a good team effort and there were few very good individual performances as well, in this match," Sangakkara said.

He also believed Sri Lanka could have had a tighter grip on the game had they not allowed India to get away with things after being four wickets down in the first session of the match. "We had our best chance when we had them at 32 for four, but we gave it away after lunch. There was not much for the guys on the last two days. There were a few chances early on in the second innings, but those are all ifs and buts. But it was a good Test match for both sides, especially for us."

Welagedara was rushed into the side literally at the 11th hour after Thilan Thushara complained of shoulder pain. He did remarkably well, accounting for the top four Indian batsmen - Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, in the first innings.

"The hardest thing to do is to not to expect to play the match and to be told five minutes before the toss that you are going to play. The way he responded showed that he has a lot of character. He has been out of cricket, yet he bowled really well."

The Sri Lanka captain also felt that the presence of reserve wicket keeper Kaushal Silva was partially responsible for brining out the best in Prasanna Jayawardene, who posted his career best score in Test cricket and was involved in a world record partnership for the 6th wicket with Mahela Jayawardene.

"One of the reasons for Prasanna to up his performance is the presence of Kaushal Silva. That bit of pressure has made him rise to greater heights. If you look at most of Prasanna’s performances, he has done better when under pressure. The last time he batted with me, we were like five down for 60 and he got a very good half-century as well. If you push him, he shows what he can do," Sangakkara added.

He also had special mention for his predecessor, Mahela Jayawardene, who completed his sixth double hundred in Test cricket. "His knock was just unbelievable. We just want him to keep going and make more hundreds for us."