Even in defeat, Sangakkara gracious

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was full of praise for his players despite again falling short in a World Cup final.

Mahela Jayawardene’s 103 not out allowed Sri Lanka to post a score of 274-6 after opting to bat first against India in Mumbai.

But Gautam Gambhir (97) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91no) saw India to a six-wicket win with 10 balls to spare.

For Sri Lanka, who surprisingly axed Aantha Mendis among four changes to their starting XI from the side that beat New Zealand in the semi-final, it was a second consecutive World Cup final defeat – having gone down to Australia four years ago.