Vice-captain Angelo Mathews anticipated a smooth change of guard as Sri Lanka gear up for their tri-series ODI clash against India in Perth on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka recently replaced coach Geoff Marsh with former South Africa coach Graham Ford and Tillakaratne Dilshan resigned as captain, leaving the veteran Mahela Jayawardene to take up the reins again.

While Jayawardene's role is seen only as a short-term arrangement, Ford comes in on a full-time basis after the recent interim roles of Stuart Law and Rumesh Ratnayake as well as the brief tenure of Marsh.

"Dilshan is a great character. With all the pressure and the situation. He is ready and set to go and perform with the bat. Mahela took the job to steady the ship. He has mentioned he wouldn't be captaining for long. It's the correct decision for Mahela. He knows the game, he reads the game and he knows what needs to be done to steady the ship," insisted Mathews.

Of his own ambition to lead the side, all-rounder Mathews remained cautious of the pressures and expectations that come with the captaincy. Dilshan didn't win an ODI series during his 10-month stint as skipper, while his primary role with the bat was negatively affected. The right-handed opener sports a Test career average of 40.89, but just 33.60 as captain. His ODI figures aren't much better - 35.12 not as captain, 32.00 as captain.

"There has been all sorts of saying regarding captaincy. I wasn't looking to captain the country. I have so many years ahead of my career. Vice-captaincy is given to me to groom and I take it as a challenge. I try and cope with it, whatever the situation and try and give my best for the country," added Mathews.

The prospect of facing the world's leading ODI run-scorer, Sachin Tendulkar, excited Mathews. Tendulkar is likely to open the batting alongside Virender Sehwag on Wednesday and, having fallen cheaply against the Aussies in Melbourne, will be eager to set the record straight.

"Sachin's stats say it all. He is one of the best ever produced in cricket's history. Playing against him, it's a great opportunity for us to learn. He's a very seasoned campaigner. We have a lot to learn from him," he concluded.