Newly-appointed all-format Vice Captain of the Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team Kamindu Mendis has said that being entrusted with a new responsibility will not put him off his game, but instead motivate him to give even more to the team.

He made this comment during a brief interview with the media before flying out with the national team to the West Indies last week, where they are slated to play a bilateral series across all three formats against their hosts commencing Wednesday (3 June).

Mendis, who has leadership experience behind him having captained the Sri Lanka Under 19 Cricket Team from 2016 to 2018, was made the deputy to new ODI and T20I skipper Kusal Mendis as well as to red-ball Captain Dhananjaya de Silva, ahead of the tour of the West Indies.

He stated that being thrust into the vice captaincy would not be a burden for him and insisted that he would allow his bat to do the talking, as that had been his motto when plying his trade.

“I have been a free-scoring batter in all three formats,” the 27-year-old left-hander noted. “This new responsibility, I hope, will enable me to further increase my output to the team, and this upcoming series should be a good starting point.”

The ambidextrous cricketer observed that with a new coaching team in tow, the tourists would look to start their new journey on a winning note and said they were looking forward to the tour.

Mendis added that he had only a solitary coaching session with new Head Coach Gary Kirsten due to his Indian Premier League (IPL) duty, and stressed that the experience gained from competing in world cricket’s most lucrative domestic T20 franchise should stand in good stead.

“My sole session with Gary [Kirsten] went well. I think he brings a wealth of experience and we, as players, are fortunate to come under his tutelage. The added exposure I got from the IPL will also help me make an impact in the West Indies series,” the new Vice Captain quipped. 

(JK)