Kusal Mendis scripts history, joins Kohli, Smith and Root in elite club

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis (AP Photo)Kusal Mendis joined an elite group featuring Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith after becoming the latest batter to score a century on his debut as a Test captain. The Sri Lankan made history against Pakistan on Wednesday, becoming the first player from his country to achieve the feat.Mendis, who took over as Sri Lanka's full-time Test captain from Dhananjaya de Silva last month, marked his leadership debut with a memorable unbeaten hundred. His knock also placed him among the prominent names in world cricket who have begun their Test captaincy careers with a century.The 31-year-old reached the landmark with a boundary off Razaullah in the third delivery of the 92nd over.Mendis also played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's recovery after the visitors found themselves struggling at 155/4 in 42 overs. He combined with his fifth-wicket partner to put together a massive 249-run stand.With the achievement, Mendis became the 37th cricketer overall to register a hundred in his first Test as captain. He is also only the second player after former England skipper Andrew Strauss to score a century on his Test captaincy debut against Pakistan.The list of players to have accomplished the feat includes some of the biggest names in the game. India's Virat Kohli scored 115 against Australia in Adelaide in 2014, while Steve Smith followed with 133 against India in Brisbane later that month. England's Joe Root also made a memorable start to his captaincy tenure, scoring 190 against South Africa at Lord's in 2017.Other notable names on the list include Sunil Gavaskar, Greg Chappell, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Shubman Gill, who scored 147 against England at Leeds in 2025. South Africa's Wiaan Mulder also made history with an unbeaten 367 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2025.Mendis' century also brought another significant personal milestone. During his innings, he crossed 13,000 runs in international cricket, becoming only the eighth Sri Lankan batter to reach the mark across all three formats.Kumar Sangakkara remains Sri Lanka's leading run-scorer in international cricket with 27,757 runs from 587 matches between 2000 and 2015. Mahela Jayawardene occupies second place with 25,688 runs, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya with 20,966.