My best ODI strike says Gambhir

Elated after guiding India to a facile, series-clinching win, star batsman Gautam Gambhir said he would rate tonight's unbeaten 150 against Sri Lanka as the best innings of his career. Gambhir said it was very satisfying to stay till the end and guide the team to victory. "This is the first time I finished a game remaining unbeaten. It feels great," Gambhir said in the post-match conference.

"It was important for me to get going and convert it into a big one. It feels great that I finished the game," Gambhir, who was adjudged Man of the Match, said.

It was a brilliantly paced innings by the left-hander who added 224 runs with Virat Kohli (107) for the third wicket to put India's chase back on track.

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 tonight'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.