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Kusal Mendis has been appointed the new Test captain of Sri Lanka, taking over from Dhananjaya de Silva with immediate effect. The wicketkeeper-batter will lead the Test side for the first time when Sri Lanka face Pakistan in their upcoming two-match series.
Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the change on Thursday, October 8, following a decision by the national selection committee. Kusal Mendis already leads Sri Lanka in ODIs and T20Is, making the Test appointment his third captaincy role in international cricket.
Dhananjaya de Silva steps down as Sri Lanka Test captain after a decent tenure
De Silva captained Sri Lanka in 18 Tests, winning seven, losing eight and drawing three. His 38.88% win rate puts him among the more experienced Test captains in Sri Lanka's history. He decided to step aside after believing the Test side should now be handed to the next generation.
His final series as captain came against India in August 2026. India won the first Test in Galle by 165 runs, while the second match in Colombo ended in a draw, giving India a 1-0 series victory.
Kusal Mendis named Sri Lanka's new Test captain
Sri Lanka Cricket announced Mendis as the new Test captain after the selection committee met at its headquarters on Thursday. His first assignment will be the two-Test series against Pakistan.
Mendis has already led Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket, but is yet to captain the side in red-ball cricket. The 31-year-old has played 75 Tests, 159 ODIs and 109 T20Is, giving him 343 international appearances across formats.
Kusal Mendis' record as white-ball captain and career stats
Mendis has scored 4,836 Test runs at an average of 36.36, including 10 centuries and 23 fifties. In ODIs, he has 5,160 runs at 36.33 with seven centuries and 36 fifties, while his T20I tally stands at 2,694 runs at a strike rate of 130.20.
Across international cricket, Mendis has 12,690 runs and 17 centuries. His experience as Sri Lanka's white-ball captain will now be extended to the longest format as he takes charge of the Test side.
Overall, Kusal Mendis has captained Sri Lanka in 22 ODIs between 2023 and 2026, winning 10 matches and losing 10, with two no-results. His win percentage stands at 45.45%, while his overall percentage in the record is 50% when no-results are included.
Also, he has led Sri Lanka in three T20Is in 2026. The team won one match and lost two, giving him a 33.33% win percentage.
| Sri Lanka Test Captains | |
| # | Captain |
| 1 | Arjuna Ranatunga |
| 2 | Sanath Jayasuriya |
| 3 | Mahela Jayawardene |
| 4 | Angelo Mathews |
| 5 | Dimuth Karunaratne |
| 6 | Dinesh Chandimal |
| 7 | Duleep Mendis |
| 8 | Marvan Atapattu |
| 9 | Dhananjaya de Silva |
| 10 | Kumar Sangakkara |
| 11 | Tillakaratne Dilshan |
| 12 | Hashan Tillakaratne |
| 13 | Aravinda de Silva |
| 14 | Rangana Herath |
| 15 | Suranga Lakmal |
| 16 | Bandula Warnapura |
| 17 | Somachandra de Silva |
| 18 | Ranjan Madugalle |
| 19 | Kusal Mendis |
