It took a lot of courage the way he batted: Usman Khawaja

Australian batter Usman Khawaja praised teammate Cameron Green for playing the Sri Lankan spinners after the two batters helped Australia to 101-run first innings lead on a weather-hit day two of the opening Test.

Khawaja praised the all-rounder Green, who struck a masterly 77 on a perilous track and stitched half-century partnerships with Khawaja and Alex Carey to help the tourists win the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Thursday.

"He (Green) batted beautifully. It took a lot of courage the way he batted. He came out and played a sweep shot straight away. That's not easy. That wicket is extremely tough. It's one of the toughest I have played on," said Usman Khawaja.

The left-handed batter said the tips have helped Green's game that the senior batters in the group have passed on. 

"It's great, a lot of the things we have learned as senior batters around the group. So it's great to see that knowledge being passed on,"

Australia got a commendable lead of 101 in their first innings, which in the end proved to be enough for Australia to clinch the series. Khawaja credited the shot selection and match awareness of the batters that helped the batters to succeed in the first innings of the first Test.

"The way we play the game and how we talk about the game has changed a lot since I started playing for the Australian cricket team. We've learned from our mistakes, and guys are all trusting their plans and are able to adapt to different situations, and that's different from the way we do it in Australia,"

Green added 57 runs with Khawaja and a vital 84-run stand with Carey to help Australia eclipse Sri Lanka's below-par total of 212 and reach 313/8, a match-winning lead of 101, at the Galle International Stadium.

"Guys like (Alex) Carey come in and sweep. Even me, growing up in Australia, every second coach would tell me not to sweep. But it's a very natural shot, and Carey exploits it as much as anyone," Khawaja concluded.