Key points
- Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten 117 on his Test captaincy debut against Pakistan at Rawalpindi.
- He became the first Sri Lankan to score a century in his first Test as captain and the 37th player overall to achieve the milestone.
- Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva added an unbeaten 249-run stand after Sri Lanka slipped to 155/4.
- Mendis joined a list that includes Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root, who also scored centuries in their first Tests as captain.
- The innings took Mendis past 13,000 international runs, making him the eighth Sri Lankan batter to reach the milestone.
Kusal Mendis made an emphatic start to his tenure as Sri Lanka’s full-time Test captain, scoring an unbeaten century against Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi on Wednesday, November 11. The innings made him the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred in his first Test as captain and placed him in a select group that includes Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Joe Root.
A landmark hundred at Rawalpindi
Mendis, 31, took over the Test captaincy from Dhananjaya de Silva last month. His first match in the role brought an immediate personal milestone: he reached three figures with a boundary off Razaullah in the third delivery of the 92nd over and was unbeaten on 117 at the close, according to the match-day reports.
The innings was especially important in the context of Sri Lanka’s position. The visitors had been reduced to 155/4 after 42 overs, leaving them in need of a substantial partnership to rebuild their first-innings effort. Mendis joined former captain Dhananjaya de Silva and the pair put together an unbroken 249-run stand, turning the innings around and carrying Sri Lanka to 404/4 by stumps.
Daily FT reported that Dhananjaya was also unbeaten on 167 at the close. The partnership made the day a notable one for Sri Lanka, with the incoming captain and his predecessor both reaching hundreds in the same innings.
Joining Kohli, Smith and Root
Mendis became the 37th cricketer overall to score a century in his first Test as captain. The achievement connects him with several leading batters of the modern era, although the milestone has been reached by players from different generations and teams.
India’s Virat Kohli scored 115 against Australia in Adelaide in 2014 in his first Test as captain. Steve Smith followed with 133 against India in Brisbane later that month. England’s Joe Root began his captaincy tenure with a 190 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017.
The wider list also includes former captains such as Sunil Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. More recently, India’s Shubman Gill scored 147 against England at Leeds in 2025, while South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder made an unbeaten 367 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo that year.
Mendis’ achievement also carries a specific place in Sri Lanka’s cricket history. He is the country’s first batter to register a century in his debut Test as captain. He is also only the second player, after former England captain Andrew Strauss, to score a hundred on a Test captaincy debut against Pakistan.
Another milestone: 13,000 international runs
The Rawalpindi hundred was not only a leadership landmark. During the innings, Mendis crossed 13,000 runs in international cricket across Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals. He became the eighth Sri Lankan batter to reach that overall tally.
Sri Lanka’s all-time international run-scoring list remains led by Kumar Sangakkara, who made 27,757 runs in 587 matches between 2000 and 2015. Mahela Jayawardene is second with 25,688, while Sanath Jayasuriya is third with 20,966, according to the figures cited in the Times of India report.
For Mendis, the double achievement gives his captaincy a strong early marker: a century in his first Test in charge and entry into a distinguished group of Sri Lankan run-scorers. The innings also demonstrated his role in steadying the side after early wickets, with the partnership alongside Dhananjaya providing the platform for a substantial first-innings total.
What the milestone means for Sri Lanka
A first-Test hundred as captain does not decide the course of a leadership tenure, but it gives Mendis a memorable personal beginning. The partnership with Dhananjaya was particularly significant because it combined the new captain and the outgoing leader in a recovery that changed the shape of Sri Lanka’s innings.
The immediate match context will remain central as the Test progresses. Mendis’ unbeaten score and the stand of 249 gave Sri Lanka a position of strength at the close of the reported day, but the final outcome will depend on how both teams perform over the remaining passages of the match.
For now, Mendis has secured a place in the record books alongside Kohli, Smith and Root, while also becoming the latest Sri Lankan to pass the 13,000-run mark in international cricket.
Frequently asked questions
What record did Kusal Mendis achieve against Pakistan?
Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten century in his first Test as Sri Lanka captain against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. He became the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred in his debut Test as captain and the 37th player overall to achieve the milestone.
How many runs did Kusal Mendis score in his first Test as captain?
Mendis was unbeaten on 117 at the close of the reported day in the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. He reached the century with a boundary off Razaullah in the third delivery of the 92nd over.
Who partnered Kusal Mendis in the 249-run stand?
Former Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva partnered Mendis in an unbroken 249-run stand. The partnership began after Sri Lanka had slipped to 155/4 and helped the visitors recover to 404/4 by stumps.
Which other players scored centuries on their Test captaincy debuts?
The list includes Virat Kohli, who made 115 against Australia in Adelaide in 2014; Steve Smith, who scored 133 against India in Brisbane later that year; and Joe Root, who made 190 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017.
How many international runs has Kusal Mendis scored?
Mendis crossed 13,000 runs in international cricket during his innings against Pakistan. He became the eighth Sri Lankan batter to reach the milestone across Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals. The figure combines his runs across all three international formats.
Where does Kusal Mendis rank among Sri Lanka’s international run-scorers?
Mendis became the eighth Sri Lankan batter to pass 13,000 international runs. The report lists Kumar Sangakkara first with 27,757 runs, Mahela Jayawardene second with 25,688 and Sanath Jayasuriya third with 20,966, among the country's leading international run-scorers.