cricketrulz

On a high after bagging the man of the match award in the one day game against Sri Lanka with an unconquered 150, opening bat Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday this was the first time he has finished off a game for India.

"This is the first time I have finished off the game for India. Once I got into the middle, I wanted to play a big innings and finish it. Luckily I was the one who finished it," said Gambhir.

On his 224-run third wicket stand with Virat Kohli, that powered India the victory, Gambhir said, "it was a very important partnership. We were chasing 315. It's always good to have a partnership in such situations."

Gambhir said he would rate his unbeaten 150 as the best innings of his career. He said it was very satisfying to stay till the end and guide the team to victory.

"It was important for me to get going and convert it into a big one. It feels great that I finished the game."

Explaining his early caution, Gambhir said, "While chasing it's always important to have wickets in hand. When you have wickets in hand, it's always easy to chase down about 130 in the last 15 overs."

India's win came without regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is serving a two-match ban, and star batsman Yuvraj Singh, who is nursing an injured finger.

Gambhir said Thursday's victory was made possible by the team's impressive bench strength.

"We have enough guys in the bench who can prove themselves even in the absence of great players like Dhoni and Yuvraj," he said.