Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis reveals ‘mantra’ that helps him thrive in Test format

Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis revealed that staying “calm” is the mantra behind the success he has enjoyed in the Test format.

Mendis played a captivating 113-run knock in a losing cause against England in Manchester in the opening Test of the three-match series.

His performance left him with a batting average of 92.16, which is the second-highest in Test history among players who have more than 500 runs to their name.

Ahead of the second Test, Kamindu opened up about his philosophy, which has buttressed his batting and allowed him to express himself freely on the field of cricket.

“I do basic things and try to keep calm in the middle. What I wanted was to do what I could on the day for the team. That’s really my only goal: to give as much to my team as possible, whether on the batting front, bowling front or via fielding,” Kamindu said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

It was two years, ago that Kamindu made his debut against Australia as a replacement for Dhananjaya de Silva. He impressed with a knock of 61 but had to bide his time on the sidelines to showcase his talent again.

The opportunity that he longed for came against Bangladesh earlier this year. Kamindu seized the moment and scored a twin hundred to show his worth to the team.

“I knew that the batting was packed, but what I tried to do was to do as best as I could in the chance that I had. I had to exit the team after that, but I don’t see that as a mistake. You have to make various decisions to balance a team, and I came into that side only because Dhananjaya had Covid. When he returned, I had to make way. That’s fair,” Kamindu said.

Before returning to the squad against Bangladesh, Kamindu served his time as a squad player for the past two years. He feels that period helped him to improve as a player.

“Even though I didn’t get to play, I was in the squad and travelling with the team, pretty much every tour. Going on so many tours with experienced players on those tours also helped me play well in my first few innings,” he added.

Kamindu would be keen to do well in the second Test against England at the Lord’s, which will kick off on Thursday.

Source: ANI
--Agencies