ODI World Cup 2023: According to Kusal Mendis, his aggressive batting style won't be hindered by his new captaincy role.
Due to an injury that kept regular captain Dasun Shanaka out of the game for the duration of the tournament, Sri Lanka was forced to make a significant roster change and name Kusal Mendis as the new captain of the team.
Even though he assumed the vital position halfway through the current ODI World Cup 2023, Mendis is determined to stick with his aggressive batting approach.
Due to a thigh muscle injury he received during a match against Pakistan, Shanaka was ruled out and will likely require three weeks to recover. The team announced Chamika Karunaratne as his replacement.
In Monday's match against Australia, Mendis, who has amassed 198 runs from two games, is among the tournament's top scorers. This will be the first time Mendis has led his team. In the group stage, neither team has yet to open an account.
Mendis said of his batting approach, "In terms of my batting, I want to keep performing at this level. I like to play in a way that complies with the needs of the team."
Mendis termed Shanaka's absence from the team a "significant disadvantage" and accepted that he will be missed. "As a team, we deeply regret his absence," he stated. Moreover, we added someone to the squad to make up for Wanidu Hasaranga's absence when we previously lost him."
In addition, the wicketkeeper-battler wished to overcome his "personal weakness" following his hospitalisation following his batting performance against Pakistan.
In the tournament's opening two matches against South Africa and Pakistan, he scored an impressive 76 and 122. Mendis had to receive medical attention at the hospital after experiencing cramps during his lengthy innings against the Babar Azam-led team.
"It has been difficult to play in this intense heat during every match. Mendis said on Sunday, "I sincerely apologise for getting cramps after my batting."
"I think we could have accomplished more if I could have fielded. It's a personal shortcoming I never saw coming.
"I believe that was the outcome of exertion. I'll take action to make sure it doesn't occur again."
Regretfully, Sri Lanka has set unfavourable records in their opening two matches, giving up a World Cup record 428 to the Proteas, while Pakistan achieved the greatest successful chase in tournament history, winning by six wickets.