"What a knock"- Suryakumar Yadav awestruck after Kusal Mendis smacks 65-ball 100 against Pakistan in 2023 WC

Kusal Mendis continued his top form in Indian conditions and recorded his first century in the 2023 World Cup. The Sri Lankan batter took only 65 balls to complete his ton against Pakistan, leading Indian star Suryakumar Yadav to express his awe at his batting performance.

Sri Lanka are up against Pakistan in the eighth match of the 2023 World Cup in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 10. The islanders won the toss and opted to bat first. Hasan Ali dismissed Kusal Perera for a duck, but Pakistan could not continue the momentum.

The duo of Mendis and Pathum Nissanka stitched up a magnificent 102-run stand for the second wicket. Nissanka lost his wicket after completing his half-century, but Mendis held one end till the 29th over and departed to the dressing room after scoring 122 runs off 77 balls.

Mendis smashed 14 fours and six sixes in his entertaining knock. Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav lauded him for his fantastic performance and wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Kusal mendis (fire emoji) What a knock (shocked emoji) #ICCMensCricketWorldCup2023."

Fans agreed with Suryakumar Yadav's views and his post has received more than 22,000 likes in just two hours.

---

Kusal Mendis received fine support from Sadeera Samarawickrama in the middle

After Pathum Nissanka lost his wicket, Sadeera Samarawickrama joined Mendis in the middle. The two batters added 109 runs for the third wicket. Mendis then handed a catch to Imam-ul-Haq off Hasan Ali's bowling.

Sadeera went on to complete his century as well. He scored 108 runs off 89 balls, whacking 11 fours and two sixes. The two centurions guided Sri Lanka to 344/9 in their 50 overs.

Pakistan have never lost an ODI World Cup match against Sri Lanka before. It will be interesting to see if the streak stays alive in Hyderabad.