Sri Lanka’s top-order batsmen were good and their spinners were even better. That was captain Charith Asalanka’s view on what enabled his team to beat India, a team they had been beaten 16 times since 2015 but only three times in ODIs.

In this series played by crazy turners, Sri Lanka drew the first match, won the second match comfortably and beat India by 110 runs in the third match.

They dismissed their opponents three times, with the spinners taking 27 of the 30 Indian wickets on offer. The three best wicket-takers in the series were Sri Lankan spinners – Jeffrey Vandersay took eight wickets despite playing in only two matches, Dunith Wellalage took seven wickets and Asalanka himself took six wickets.

Wanindu Hasaranga, who was unable to play in Sri Lanka due to a leg injury, could not play in the second and third matches.

“The biggest positive was winning a series against India after 27 years,” Asalanka said. “The other big positive was the spinners. We had relied on Wanindu Hasaranga, but Vandersay and Dunith were also playing well here.”

But on such rewarding tracks, while spinners are expected to do well, Sri Lanka’s top order has also provided the kind of platforms they have often failed to provide, especially against India.

The highest score of the series was Avishka Fernando’s 96 in the third match. But the other opener, Pathum Nissanka, made 101 in a low-scoring series and Kusal Mendis also contributed 103 points, largely thanks to his 59 in Wednesday’s match.

“On these pitches, it’s easier to bat and requires less spin until the ball gets a bit older,” Asalanka said. “What we planned was for someone at the top of the order to score big and others around him to play around him and score well. Today it really worked because Avishka hit 96, which is not easy on a pitch like this.

“But the coaching team and me as captain have given that challenge to the batsmen who have moved up the order, including me. If you look at the series, the middle order has been a bit hit and miss, but the top order has been successful, so we have been able to achieve those targets.

“The top order has made great starts and that’s the biggest change I’ve seen in this team. If you look at our one-day cricket two or three years ago, we weren’t getting good starts. As a No. 5 batsman, I was coming in at the 10-over mark quite often. But now there’s a foundation and it’s a sign of maturing.”

Asalanka, who turned things around after the 3-0 defeat in the T20I, said that the interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya was responsible for creating an environment in the team where freedom was prioritized.

“As a team, we tried to create a good environment after discussing with the coach,” Asalanka said. “We tried to give our players a lot of freedom and showcase their talent. We don’t put too much pressure on them. We identify their positives and negatives and support their strengths. Even if they fail, it’s okay. If you have that support, you can play against such a good team. When we lost in the T20s, there were positives in our top order. As a captain, I knew that if we played to our potential, we could compete with the best.”