'He's a rare talent,' Rohit praises Siraj after India seal series 3-0 vs Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma has heaped praise on pacer Mohammed Siraj, calling him a "rare talent" after India's clean-sweep victory over Sri Lanka.

Siraj clinched his best One-Day International (ODI) figures as India humiliated Sri Lanka by beating them by 317 runs in the third ODI on Sunday. With that, Rohit and Co claimed a 3-0 win in the 50-over series. Chasing India's mammoth target of 391, Sri Lanka got bundled out for 73 runs in 22 overs, with Siraj picking 4 for 32 in his quota of 10 overs.

Sri Lanka's opening batsman Nuwanidu Fernando top scored for his side with his knock of 19 off 27 balls, while as many as eight Lanka batters were dismissed for a single digit score, including a duck out.

"It was a great series for us. Lots of positives. We bowled well, and got wickets when we needed, and the batters throughout the series piling on the runs was good to watch. Good to see how he (Siraj) was bowling and he deserved all those slips. He is a rare talent, the way he has come up over the last few years is good to see.

"He [Siraj] has come from strength to strength and that's really good for Indian cricket. We tried all sort of things (to get his fifer) but it didn't happen, unfortunately. But the four wickets are all his and fifers will come. He has a few tricks up his sleeves which he is working on and it's there to see," said Rohit at the post-match presentation.

Siraj, who made his ODI debut in 2019 in Australia, has now bagged 33 wickets in 19 ODIs for India.

A 3-0 win is a great way to start the year for Team India, considering the ICC Cricket World Cup is due to take place later this year. Coincidently, India are going to host the ICC event.

India earlier beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the T20I series as well.

"We'll get to the drawing board quickly (for the next series) and see how the pitch is, then decide how the combinations will be. They (NZ) are coming off a series win in Pakistan, so it won't be an easy task at all," added Rohit.

After Rohit opted to bat at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, he put up 95 runs for the opening wicket with Shubma Gill. Coming one down, Virat Kohli stole the show once again as he recorded his career's 74th international century. Kohli remained unbeaten on 166 off 110 deliveries, his third century in four ODIs. Kohli also took his ODI hundreds tally to 46 and he is now just three centuries away from equaling Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 49 ODI tons.

IND vs SL: 'Boys didn't show intent,' says Sri Lanka captain Shanaka

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka was brutally honest, saying both his batsmen and bowlers "need to learn" after their humiliating loss to India.

"It's disappointing. Not the game we would have wanted but it happens sometimes. Bowlers and batters both need to learn. How to pick wickets on these pitches and how to score runs. No idea about that (on the updates about Bandara and Vandersay). Playing positive cricket is the key. If the boys showed intent, bowling will be different. While playing international cricket, we need to play with intent. I would like to congratulate Indian team for playing this level of cricket," added Shanaka.

Sri Lanka have over a month's break before their next series, which is an away one in New Zealand. The two sides are set to play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is from March to April.

Meanwhile, India have just a two-day rest before their next series, which is against the BlackCaps, starting with the three-match ODI series. This will be followed by three T20Is as well.