Kusal Mendis appointed Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva's exit

New Delhi: Kusal Mendis has been appointed as Sri Lanka's Test captain, taking over as the all-format captain after Dhananjaya de Silva left his Test leadership role.

Mendis is already leading the Lankan Lions in the white-ball format and will mark the start of his Test captaincy tenure from the two-match away series against Pakistan in November.

The decision to name Mendis the captain was taken by the SLC Selection Committee at a meeting that took place at the SLC headquarters on Thursday. Mendis has played 75 Tests and has 4836 runs to his name with 10 centuries and 23 fifties.

He was named the white-ball captain in May this year, replacing Charith Asalanka in the ODI role and Dasun Shanaka in the T20I role.

Earlier in the day, de Silva left the Test captaincy after being at the helm of the Test side since January 2024. "It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter addressed to Sri Lanka's selection committee.

"It's my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation," de Silva said in a letter he sent to Sri Lanka's selection committee.

Meanwhile, the all-rounder confirmed that he remains available to represent the island nation as a player. Sri Lanka Cricket CEO, Ashley de Silva, wished his namesake well for the remainder of his career. "Sri Lanka Cricket wishes him the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team," the SLC CEO said.

De Silva was appointed as the Test captain in January 2024, replacing Dimuth Karunaratne. He led the island nation in 18 Tests, helping them win seven of those matches.

As captain, de Silva made 1130 runs at an average of 36.45 and scored three centuries and seven half-centuries in those 18 matches. He also picked up nine wickets with a best innings haul of 2-13.

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