Sri Lanka batter Kamindu Mendis has scored 1004 Tests runs from 13 innings at an average of 91.3. Kamindu Mendis becomes second fastest batter to score 1000 runs in Tests.
Coming into the limelight during the 2016 Under-19 World Cup as an ambidextrous bowler, Kamindu Mendis has now become cricket’s newest batting sensation. He has hammered eight successive fifties since his Test debut for Sri Lanka, a world record for any Test batter, and has put the world on notice regarding his immense talent.
In his first 8 Tests, Kamindu has scored a whopping 1004 runs at a ‘Bradmanesque’ average of 91.27, and this includes five centuries. Courtesy of his recent century, which was an unbeaten 182 against New Zealand at Galle, Kamindu crossed 1000 runs in Tests in just 13 innings.
This places him just below Herbert Sutcliffe & Sir Everton Weekes (12 innings each) and alongside Sir Don Bradman in the list of least innings taken to reach the 1000-run mark in Tests.
Beginnings
The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to Kamindu Mendis, the Test batter. But was the left-hander a domestic stalwart as well? Well, his records tell so. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has played 50 first-class games before featuring in the ongoing Test match at Galle and has amassed 4558 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 63.30 in 78 outings.
With some solid numbers to back, Kamindu made his Test debut against Australia in 2022 at Galle and made 61 in the only innings he played. He then had to wait for 20 months to play his second Test match, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Appetite to score huge runs
His comeback Test was against Bangladesh at Sylhet, and he immediately made a mark by scoring twin centuries (102 & 164) in the game. The left-hander followed it up with an unbeaten 92 against the same opponents in the next Test. This showed his ability to play time and hunger to score big runs.
Though he was on a scoring spree against Bangladesh, his toughest Test yet came during Sri Lanka’s tour of England, where the sides played a 3-match Test series. In a tour where the Sri Lanka side gave a good account of themselves despite suffering a 1-2 loss, Kamindu was the team’s standout performer with the bat.
He emerged as the team’s highest scorer in the series with 267 runs (50+ scores in each Test), and this includes a fantastic 113 in the first Test at Old Trafford. Kamindu continued his rich vein of form in the ongoing home Test series against New Zealand at Galle, hammering two centuries (114 and 182*) in two games.
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Kamindu’s style of play
Just by looking at Kamindu Mendis's batting, we know he is someone who looks to play positively and has the most strokes in his repertoire. At the Test level, the left-hander has scored 1004 runs at a rapid pace, coming off just 1544 balls, and this amounts to a strike rate of 65.03, which is staggering.
He has hit 104 fours and 19 sixes already in his short career, which means 530 of his runs have come only in boundaries. These numbers suggest that he has a knack for not allowing the opposition bowlers to settle down and score rather quickly.
What future holds for Kamindu Mendis?
Still early into his Test career, Kamindu Mendis, by virtue of his stupendous numbers, is compared to the legendary Sir Don Bradman and is touted as Lanka’s Bradman. The Sri Lanka team management will be delighted with the returns produced by Kamindu at this level, especially given the fact that the team is in a transition phase.
His contributions and inclusion have significantly bolstered Sri Lanka’s middle order, and this should come as good news for the Test side that is rebuilding themselves. Sri Lanka will hope that this young batter will continue to hold the forte in the middle order in years to come and emulate their yesteryear's legends.
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