KINGSTON: The punishing 161-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka was difficult to digest and a “reality check” for his side, stand-in skipperVirat Kohli said as India suffered its second successive defeat in the tri-series.

Sri Lanka piled up a huge 348 for one and then shot out the Indians for a paltry 187 in 44.5 overs.

India are now in a position, where they need to win the remaining two games to qualify for the final.

“It was a reality check for us, we have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go. This is going to hurt the guys a little bit,” Kohli, leading the side in place of injured skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said.

Kohli said the bowlers let them down in the match and a slow start in the chase too was responsible for the debacle.

“It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball. The Sri Lankans batted really well, and we did not. To chase down 349, you need a quick start, we were not able to do that, that did not give us momentum,” he said.

India scored just 28 runs in the first 10 overs and lost opener Rohit Sharma.

Asked about the need for sending a pinch-hitter while chasing the total, Kohli said, “The way we have been batting, I don’t think we needed to consider that option. It didn’t happen today.”

Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews praised the opening duo of Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene for setting the platform for the victory with their 213-run stand.

Tharanga smashed his way to a superb 174 while Jayawardene scored 107.