Kusal Mendis’ recent string of poor scores may be a result of mental fatigue. That, at least, was the diagnosis of batting coach Avishka Gunawardene, ahead of the fifth ODI against India. Though he hit an excellent hundred in the second Test at the SSC, Mendis is yet to make a substantial impact in the ODIs, producing scores of 36, 19, 1 and 1.
This is despite Mendis’ having begun his ODI career well – hitting 11 fifties and a century in his first 28 innings. In his last eight knocks, however, Mendis has returned five scores of one or zero.
“We had a chat about Mendis after the last game, and we feel that he is mentally drained,” Gunawardene said. “He is still 22 years old. It’s nothing to do with any technical issues. We will see what the management comes up with. I think it’s better to give him a break before the next tour rather than keep playing him throughout.”
Mendis has more…