Sri Lankan star Kamindu Mendis made history on Friday during the second Test match against New Zealand at the Galle International Stadium. The 25-year-old batter achieved a towering feat by equaling the legendary Don Bradman's record.
Mendis Equals Bradman's Historic Record
Mendis became the joint-fastest cricketer to reach 1000 Test runs in just 13 innings. This incredible achievement matches Bradman's record, which had stood since 1949. Mendis now holds the third-highest position among batsmen to achieve this milestone. The 25-year-old has also surpassed the Sri Lankan record, previously held by Roy Dias, who reached 1000 Test runs in 23 innings. Last year, Yashasvi Jaiswal became the fastest batter of the 21st century to achieve this milestone, reaching 1000 runs in 16 innings.
Fastest batters to notch 1000 runs in Test
Inns | Player | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Debut |
| 12 | Herbert Sutcliffe (ENG) | v Australia | Melbourne | 13 Feb 1925 | 14 Jun 1924 |
| 12 | Everton Weekes (WI) | v India | Brabourne | 4 Feb 1949 | 21 Jan 1948 |
13* | Kamindu Mendis (SL) | v New Zealand | Galle | 27 Sep 2024 | 8 Jul 2022 |
| 13 | Don Bradman (AUS) | v England | Leeds | 11 Jul 1930 | 30 Nov 1928 |
| 14 | Robert Harvey (AUS) | v England | Brisbane | 1 Dec 1950 | 23 Jan 1948 |
| 14 | Vinod Kambli (IND) | v West Indies | Wankhede | 18 Nov 1994 | 29 Jan 1993 |
| 16 | Len Hutton (ENG) | v West Indies | Lord’s | 24 Jun 1939 | 26 Jun 1937 |
| 16 | Frank Worrell (WI) | v Australia | Adelaide | 22 Dec 1951 | 11 Feb 1948 |
| 16 | Lawrence Rowe (WI) | v England | Port of Spain | 30 Mar 1974 | 16 Feb 1972 |
| 16 | Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) | v England | Dharamsala | 7 Mar 2024 | 12 Jul 2023 |
Mendis bags multiple feats with 182-run knock
Mendis reached his fifth Test century in just 13 innings, breaking the Asian record held by Pakistani cricketer Fawad Alam, who achieved this in 22 innings. Interestingly, Don Bradman also reached his first five centuries in 13 innings back in 1930. The record for the fastest five hundreds belongs to former Caribbean great Everton Weekes, who achieved it in 10 innings in 1948. Meanwhile, Robert Harvey and Herbert Sutcliffe reached their five Test centuries in 12 innings.
Kamindu Mendis's exceptional performance has propelled him to the top of the batting charts. He has now surpassed the current world No. 1 Test batter, Joe Root, in terms of centuries scored in 2024. Moreover, Mendis is closing in on Root for the most runs scored this year. His unbeaten 182-run innings off 250 balls helped Sri Lanka achieve their first-ever 500-plus total against New Zealand.
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