Kamindu Mendis equals Bradman as Sri Lanka command New Zealand in Galle test
Galle (Sri Lanka), Sep 27: Kamindu Mendis matched Don Bradman as the joint third fastest player to 1,000 test runs as Sri Lanka tightened its grip on New Zealand in the second test on Friday.
Sri Lanka declared at 602-5 in its first innings and left New Zealand reeling at 22-2 by stumps. With three full days left to play, the Kiwis face a mountainous challenge to avoid a second defeat.
Kamindu reached the 1,000-run milestone in just his 13th test innings, sharing the honor with Bradman, who achieved the feat in 1930 against England at Headingley. Only England's Herbert Sutcliffe and West Indies great Everton Weekes reached the landmark in fewer innings, doing so in 12 knocks.
In a career that has blossomed rapidly, Kamindu notched his fifth century before lunch. and second century in two tests. Later, with audacious flair, he brought up his 1,000th run by stepping down the track to Rachin Ravindra and smashing a towering six straight back over the bowler's head.
This remarkable achievement made him not only the fastest Sri Lankan but also the quickest Asian to the milestone, surpassing the likes of Sri Lanka great Roy Dias (23 innings) and India's Vinod Kambli (14).
The crowd's celebrations were bittersweet, however, as Sri Lanka declared before Kamindu could reach his maiden double century. He was unbeaten on 182 off 250 balls, an innings laced with 16 boundaries and four massive sixes.
“Kamindu Mendis has been sensational for us this year,” teammate Angelo Mathews said. "He is doing stuff that none of us were able to do early in our careers. He is very matured, knows his game and plays very positively.
Even in the first test, we were under tremendous pressure after a collapse and he rescued us with a hundred. In the second test, the pitch was not doing much, but his concentration was amazing. He just kept on batting. It was a terrific knock.
“Kamindu has made runs everywhere. He was player of the series in Bangladesh this year when wickets weren't the easiest to bat on. Then, when we went to England, it was seaming all over and he batted so beautifully. Then again, here, on turning tracks he has looked a class apart.”
Kamindu found strong support from Kusal Mendis, who shrugged off recent struggles to post an undefeated 106, his 10th test century.
Demoted to No. 7 in the order after disappointing performances, Kusal responded with a measured innings, combining with Kamindu for an unbroken 200-run partnership, the highest sixth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against New Zealand on home soil. This partnership also set a record as the highest sixth-wicket stand in Galle, by any team, further cementing Sri Lanka's dominance.
Earlier in the day, the hosts lost Mathews (88) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (44) in the morning session, but Kamindu's relentless march, paired with Kusal's defiance, ensured Sri Lanka remained firmly in the driver's seat, with thoughts of a 2-0 series sweep looming large.
New Zealand, meanwhile, missed crucial chances again to rein in Sri Lanka. Daryl Mitchell dropped Kamindu on 26 and Tom Blundell fluffing a straightforward stumping when he was on 113.
The misery continued for the Kiwis when Sri Lanka struck early in their innings.
Asitha Fernando set the tone, dismissing Tom Latham in the very first over with a sharp catch at gully. Prabath Jayasuriya then removed the other opener Devon Conway, snapped up at slip by De Silva on 9.
“It's a tough ask for us now,” New Zealand's Luke Ronchi said. “The important thing is to play each ball, build partnerships and see through sessions. We have done it before in tough conditions. We need to take the game as deep as possible.”
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
