Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis matches Saud Shakeel’s world record, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar

New Delhi: Sri Lankan star Kamindu Mendis has had an unparalleled start to his Test career, scoring outstanding performances each time he has taken the field since his debut in July 2022. The young all-rounder has scored as a minimum one fifty-plus score in all of his first six Tests. Continuing his fine form, Mendis scored a century on Wednesday at some stage in the Test against New Zealand in Galle, thus establishing his seventh successive Test with a fifty-plus score. It truly is a rather rare feat, as it has come about handiest once in Test cricket history, when last year Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel became the first player to enter a fifty-plus score in every of his first seven Tests.

A few cricketing legends had scored 0.5-centuries in every of their Test matches till their first six Tests played before this feat. Such players were India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Pakistan’s Saeed Ahmed, West Indies’ Basil Butcher, and New Zealand’s Bert Sutcliffe. Their early career shows consisted of a strict standard for achieving high values in performance, to which Mendis and Saud Shakeel have handiest just surpassed now.

Kamindu Mendis scored a gritty and determined knock, reaching a genuinely-earned century against New Zealand as Sri Lanka regained keep an eye on of the first Test. The hosts had fought their way right into a strong position by close of play on the outlet day, finishing at 302 for seven. The innings was once key in turning the tide in Sri Lanka’s favor after an exceedingly tough start.

Kamindu Mendis batted like a bravehead, helping Sri Lanka wrest the momentum from New Zealand as they reached 302 for seven by stumps on the first day of the outlet Test on Wednesday. Such an innings by Mendis will likely be crucially important to navigate his side out of trouble and permit them to grasp the initiative after getting an adverse start.

Sri Lanka began to struggle at 106 for four shortly after lunch, however it certainly was once Kamindu Mendis, recently rewarded player of the series at some stage in their tour of England, who now stepped up to the plate with a composed and guaranteed innings. His calm approach less than pressure helped steadies the team and took the sport onto a smarter position because the day progressed.

Kamindu Mendis expressed the team’s intent to “get in the case of the 350 mark” on Thursday, believing that can put Sri Lanka “on top of the sport.” His valuable innings, on the alternative hand, came to an end at 114 in the penultimate over of the day. Ajaz Patel produced a sharp turner that caught Mendis’ glove, offering a simple catch to first slip, bringing a fine knock to a detailed in advance of stumps.

“It’s a special hundred this one, as this came in my fatherland,” Kamindu said.

“I should have long gone on to get a large one, but I couldn’t do tons about that ball.”

Kamindu Mendis – the young lad with rare ambidextrous skills in batting along with as bowling – plays his seventh Test. He has already scored greater than 800 runs. In that short time period, four of his innings have been centuries and four 0.5-centuries. Should be rated amongst the present finest Sri Lankan Test players.

Sri Lanka found themselves in some difficulty heading into tea at 178 for five, but a critical 103-run partnership between Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis helped rescue the innings and guide them to a more competitive first-innings total. Kusal contributed with a well-played 0.5-century but was once pushed aside soon after in an unusual fashion. The ball ricocheted off Tom Latham at short leg, allowing captain Tim Southee to take a sharp catch, ending Kusal’s solid knock.

New Zealand rookie fast bowler William O’Rourke made immediate impact dismantling the pinnacle Sri Lankan order, claiming two wickets because the hosts may muster handiest 88 runs by lunch. And what almost right away proved to be the total justification needed for a decision to hold him back was once the performance of the 23-year-old O’Rourke.

O’Rourke surprised Dimuth Karunaratne with extra bounce in the fourth over, which sent Karunaratne to the locker room for just two as he edged the ball to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell. Fellow opener Pathum Nissanka, coming off a match-winning performance against England, was once cleaned up by a late-swinging yorker for 27.

Dinesh Chandimal came down the track and was once caught by Michael Bracewell at mid-wicket after clipping Tim Southee’s fourth ball after lunch. Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva then fell to part-time spinner Glenn Phillips, who took his first wicket with a delivery that bowled de Silva through the gate.

Angelo Mathews, who had been forced off the field at one stage consequently of a thumb injury, batted through the final word over before lunch but was once out nicking O’Rourke to the wicketkeeper for 36.

O’Rourke summed up the day by saying that honours are pretty even and giving credit to the Sri Lankan batters for getting themselves back into the sport. Talking of an early start on Thursday to New Zealand’s innings, he said: “We're waiting for knocking them over soon.”