If Australia fail to make the finals, the Sri Lankans will overtake them at the top of the one-day rankings.
"We are heading into the right direction," Jayawardene said.
The skipper said his side had looked at how India had taken the game to the Australians in recent clashes.
"India showed after all the mishaps they got together and performed really well -- that's the way forward for other teams (against Australia)," he said.
"You just block everything out -- that's our attitude.
"That's the way you can actually challenge these guys (Australia) on the field.
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Sri Lanka were given a boost Monday when scans cleared veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya of a jaw injury after he was hit in the face while batting against Tasmania in a tour match.
Jayawardene laughed off an incident in Hobart in which spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and team officials had e