Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh 1st Test Day 2: Kamindu Mendis Dominated Bangladesh With Maiden Test Century
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh 1st Test Day 2 Updates:
On the opening day of the Test, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu both scored a century, which put Sri Lanka in a strong position.
For not too many, five down. against a group that has irritated you throughout the entire tour. It was uncomfortable living with the quick bowlers. However, Test debutant Kamindu Mendis and captain Dhananjaya de Silva grabbed the opportunity and put on a spectacle. They had lost five wickets for fewer than sixty runs, and they were only the second pair in Sri Lankan history to add a 200-run stand. By the way, eight years ago, de Silva was also part in the other 200-run stand.
In Galle, Kamindu and Dhananjaya attended the same school, but they did not play together. While Kamindu acknowledged that being in the same Test XI was a proud experience for him, they were not thinking back on their reunion at 57 for 5.
As a senior, Dhana aiya was someone I looked up to. Now that Dhana aiya is also the Test captain, I’m really delighted that I get to play with him,” Kamindu remarked. “In Test cricket, it is not unheard of to be five down for fifty or so wickets at any point. Their quick bowlers had excellent, well-placed bowling. The cloudy weather and the seamers were also helped by the wicket.
“At the time, our objective was to simply settle into the crease and then start playing a lengthy innings.” And following that, things eased down in our partnership, allowing us to move forward.”
Dhananjaya became the first Test skipper to score a century, while Kamindu achieved his first in the format.
But Kamindu’s experience didn’t start out well. Mahmudul Hasan Joy failed to take a sitter on an edge first ball that could have eliminated Sri Lanka and exposed their lower order.
Kamindu counterattacked, seizing the opportunity. He pummeled the cover and point boundaries early on, getting plenty of drives on the rise. He ramped one and pulled two, so all of the sixes were off short balls. Happy to wait and use the pace and bounce of the fast bowlers to place the balls, Dhananjaya hung back. He drove infrequently and hit the majority of his fours in the arc between third and cover point.
When Dhananjaya came of age, Kamindu was in her seventies. However, Kamindu reached his century in the same over before his skipper did.
“They were bowling a lot of short balls,” Kamindu noted following his lunch with the Bangladesh quicks. “I believed that one side’s boundary was not very long. We’ll be okay if I can hit the short ball, in my opinion. They had several good quick bowlers, but they also had some terrible bowlers. Dhananjaya and I maintained our optimism.”
In the Sri Lanka XI, Kamindu took Sadeera Samarawickrama’s place. He may have contributed enough to merit a spot for a spell.
“This is my second Test match, and I’m very happy,” Kamindu exclaimed. “Given the level of stability of our test team, I am aware that obtaining an opportunity on the test side is extremely challenging. I put up a lot of effort over the past few years to get this place.”
The way Kamindu performed under duress was more impressive to the Sri Lankan selectors and team management than his number of runs. By scoring runs fast, he relieved pressure on Dhananjaya, and when it appeared that the Bangladesh bowlers could re-enter the game, he shut it down with fluid stroke play. Certainly, a first century in his first Test after nearly two years will bolster him.
