SL v IND, 2nd Test, Day 3: CT Player of the day - Kusal Mendis

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Well, the adage is a very widely used one, but very rarely do we see an individual living up to it. The chips were down for Sri Lanka in the second Test as well on the day 3. Had their not been a ‘tough’ Kusal Mendis at work, things would have been worse for the hosts. After having been humiliated in the first Test, the hosts had great expectations from the second game.

Their hopes dwindled when they saw team India post a huge total of 622 on the board in the first innings. Things looked like a case of deja vu for them as the pattern of the proceedings were similar to that of the first Test. The hopes dwindled a lot more, and the deja vu factor got strengthened after Sri Lanka were bundled out for a paltry 183 in the first innings. With a deficit of over 400, it was all dark clouds for Sri Lanka.

They were asked to follow on and Umesh Yadav rattled the wood work of Upul Tharanga early on in the innings. His opening partner, Dimuth Karunaratne, hoped for some support and resistance from the other end. Then arrived Kusal Mendis. He got what he wanted and Sri Lanka showed fight in the later stages of the day 3.

Partnership with Karunaratne

Having arrived at the crease with the scored card reading 7/1 in 3 overs, Mendis knew he had to play out of his skins to save Sri Lanka from embarrassment. He showed great skill, temperament, and patience to stick around for a long while at the crease. He did not hit the deliveries straightaway and understood the importance of staying at the crease. At the very same time, the middle-order batsman knew that he had to latch on to the loose deliveries whenever an opportunity beckoned.

He played his shots to keep the fans entertained. He stitched a marathon 191 run stand with Karunaratne to ensure that the innings does not crash down like ten pins, as it did in the first innings. Soon, he saw himself race to his fifty. And much like all temperamental players do, Kusal Mendis converted his fifty to a big one. He notched up his hundred in style with a boundary off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. He took his helmet off and tapped the badge of SLC on his chest. A brilliant knock was on display in times of acute crisis.

Playing to the plans

Mendis was unfortunate to have not added much to his total after having reached his ton. He was dismissed on 110 by Hardik Pandya in the 55th over of the game. His dismissal towards the fag end of the day 3 certainly was not something that the doctor had ordered for the Sri Lankans. However, Mendis had shown the way.

He showed the other batters that the pitch was not diabolical, neither were the Indian bowlers unplayable. He swept to perfection and hit sweeps and reverse sweeps with ease. In fact, his ton came up with a sweep shot too. For his magnificent ton that came off 110 off 135 balls with 17 fours, Kusal Mendis is the CT Player of the Day. Sri Lanka finished day 3 with 209/2 and still trail by 230 runs.