Kamindu Mendis’ name became the talk of the town in the cricketing fraternity a few months back and it still remains the same. He has done the unthinkable in the modern era by scoring 1000 test runs in just 13 innings which is the joint 2nd fastest to achieve that milestone.
When Kamindu first burst onto the scene back in 2015, he became instantly famous for being an ambidextrous spinner. Everyone was talking about this kid from Sri Lanka, playing at the Under-19 World Cup, who could bowl with both arms. But more than just an ambidextrous bowler who could bat, Kamindu was capable of so much more.
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His first few stints with the Sri Lankan team were unsuccessful, as the selectors tried him as an all-rounder. However, he soon became a run machine in the domestic four-day scene, and eventually, he was drafted into the Test squad, making his debut in 2022. On his debut, he scored a half-century, but after that, until 2024, he didn’t receive a single opportunity to play in the longer format of the game.
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At the start of 2024, Kamindu finally got another chance to play Test cricket, and he was given the responsibility of batting at number 7. He made that spot his own, scoring 102, 164, 92*, and 9 to end the series as the Player of the Tournament. Despite this, some critics tried to label him as an “Asian specialist” who wouldn’t succeed in SENA conditions. Kamindu quickly proved them wrong in England, scoring 12, 113, 74, 4, and 64, again walking away with the Sri Lankan Player of the Tournament award.
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Following the England series, New Zealand toured Sri Lanka, and the selectors decided to promote Kamindu up the order to number 5. What did he do? Exactly what he did at number 7. He started the series with a century in his hometown, scoring 114, and in the first innings of the second Test, he made his unreal start to Test cricket even more remarkable by scoring an unbeaten 182.
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After just 13 knocks in cricket’s elite format, this kid from Galle, Sri Lanka, has scored 1004 runs. That’s an enormous number, and he’s managed to break several records on his way to this illustrious 1000-run mark—some of which were set before color photographs existed. That’s how legendary Kamindu’s run has been.
To start, he is the joint 2nd fastest to 1000 Test runs, a record he shares with the phenom himself, Sir Don Bradman. He is the fastest left-handed batter in the history of the game to score 1000 Test runs, breaking a 74-year-old record previously held by Australia’s Neil Harvey. Kamindu is also the fastest Asian batter to reach 1000 Test runs and the fastest to that milestone in the 21st century, breaking the records held by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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Kamindu is the fastest Sri Lankan to 1000 runs by a long distance, as Roy Dias, Michael Vandort, and Dhananjaya de Silva all reached the milestone in 23 innings. He has already scored five Test centuries and is the joint 3rd quickest to reach five centuries, just behind the likes of Everton Weekes (10), the record holder, Neil Harvey, and Herbert Sutcliffe (12). Sharing third place with him are legends like Don Bradman and George Headley.
All of these records and milestones were achieved in just 13 innings by this extraordinary talent. We are confident Kamindu Mendis will continue to deliver phenomenal performances for Sri Lanka in the future. Here’s wishing Kamindu all the very best in achieving greatness and inspiring a whole generation of young cricketers.
