India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni doffed his hat at spin sensation Ajantha Mendis and had no qualms in admitting that his team succumbed to a 'Mendis-phobia' in the Asia Cup final here tonight.

Mendis, who was adjudged both Man of the Match and Man of the Tournament, made all the difference in tonight's final with a six-wicket haul as Sri Lanka cantered to a 100-run win.

Asked if India succumbed to a Mendis-phobia in the final, Dhoni said, "I think it was so. I think he was too hot to handle. We were playing him for the first time and he was lethal. In fact none of us could pick him."He came to bowl in the 10th over and bowled brilliantly. Whenever we were trying to repair, he came and grabbed wickets," Dhoni said. "However, it was a good learning curve, especially because we would be touring Sri Lanka for Test and ODI series there," he said.

Reminded about India's dismal record of losing 18 out of 22 finals, Dhoni said, "It's surely disappointing but still the fact that we made to 22 finals is a positive, because not every team manages to do that. But surely it would be great to win some more in the future."