Kusal Mendis made a great start to his Test captaincy career by scoring a brilliant century against Pakistan in the first Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The Sri Lankan batter reached the three-figure mark in his first innings as Test captain today, helping his team fight back strongly after Pakistan posted a competitive total in their first innings.

Mendis took charge of Sri Lanka's Test team in October this year, replacing Dhananjaya de Silva as captain. The ongoing two-match Test series against Pakistan is his first assignment as the team's Test skipper. He made the opportunity count with an important batting performance under pressure.

Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva Create a Record Partnership

Sri Lanka started their first innings in a difficult situation after Pakistan declared their innings at 434/9. The visitors lost early wickets and needed a strong partnership to get back into the contest.

Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis played important roles in rebuilding the innings. Mendis showed good control against the Pakistani bowling attack and gradually increased his scoring rate. He completed his half-century before converting it into an impactful hundred. The right-handed batter reached his hundred off 152 deliveries. His unbeaten innings included 10 boundaries and four sixes. He remained not out on 117 off 188 balls at the end of Day 3.

Meanwhile, Dhananjaya de Silva also produced an outstanding batting performance. He scored an unbeaten 167 off 241 balls, including 20 boundaries.

The two experienced batters added an unbeaten 249-run fifth-wicket partnership. It also became Sri Lanka's highest fifth-wicket partnership against Pakistan in Test cricket, surpassing the previous record of 207 runs.

Sri Lanka Fight Back Against Pakistan

At the end of the third day's play, Sri Lanka reached 404/4 in 102 overs. The visitors were just 30 runs behind Pakistan's first-innings total, with six wickets remaining.

Mendis' hundred is a remarkable achievement as he became the first Sri Lankan batter to score a century in his maiden Test match as captain. His performance has given Sri Lanka a big opportunity to take control of the match.

The fourth day will be important for both teams as Sri Lanka look to take a first-innings lead, while Pakistan will aim to break the partnership quickly.

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