Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised his team's bowlers after India strolled past Sri Lanka in the one-off T20 at Pallekele, posting a 39-run victory.

Ashok Dinda picked up a career-best four for 19, as India bowled out the hosts for 116, after the visitors had made 155 for three, with Virat Kohli again among the runs, making 68. India had already beaten Sri Lanka 4-1 in the preceding five-match one-day series.

"Overall, we were really good," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "It was a good performance. We thought of a high scoring game but it was slightly different as the ball was swinging till the 20th over.

"So it was not really easy to slog. We thought we were 10-15 runs short. Especially the way Sri Lankan team started, we thought that may be the case but our bowlers came back beautifully.

"They bowled in the right areas. It was important to take wickets and that's what we did. The combination of Virat and Rohit (Sharma) was a big plus point for us.

"If you are looking to play with four specialist bowlers and a part-timer, they bowled well as a unit. If in four overs, they concede 30-35 runs, it's okay with us. Our strength is having that seventh batsman in the side. Quite happy with the performance."

Dhoni said his side had adapted better to the changed wickets in Sri Lanka. "The wickets have changed here," the Indian captain observed. "When I first came here the ball used to stop a lot. But now the pitches have been re-laid. I think we mastered our bowling and batting better than them."

Irfan Pathan, who was named the man of the match for his three for 27, rattled the Lankans' top order, picking up Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga and captain Mahela Jayawardene. "Mahela was going great guns," Pathan said. "The ball was swinging and we knew that if we got wickets, it would be difficult for the Sri Lankan batsmen. "Our bowling coach (Joe Dawes) has been keeping a good eye on us."

Jayawardene rued his team's silly mistakes, which he admitted cost them the game. "We thought 150 was achievable," the classy batsman said. "We're making a lot of mistakes. We're still playing good cricket. When you come across a team like India, it is tough to beat them, if you keep making the mistakes."