By Admin 
Among the eminently stylish cricketers that Sri Lanka has produced over the years, Duleep Mendis was an early pioneer. In the 1970s and 80s, when the island nation was making a foray into international cricket, Mendis was a leading figure in some of its noteworthy deeds. He smashed a 57-ball 64 in Sri Lanka’s first-ever ODI win, against India in the 1979 World Cup at Manchester.
It was with Mendis as captain that Sri Lanka registered its maiden Test win, also against India, in Colombo in 1985. By then he had already smashed hundreds in both innings of a Test against India in Madras, and narrowly missed the feat at Lord’s when he hammered 111 and 94 against England in the summer of 1984.
After retirement, he went on to be manager of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 ODI World Cup in the subcontinent, and also served as chief selector in his country. Since 2012, Mendis’ wisdom and experience have been expended on guiding Oman as head coach.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu during Oman’s maiden Asia Cup campaign, which saw the men from the Middle East run India close in a 21-run defeat, he revealed how the current stint came about, and reminisced about some of his illustrious achievements as a player and manager with the Sri Lankan team. Excerpts:
How did your association with Oman cricket begin?
When I finished my stint with Sri Lanka cricket, I was just taking things easy. Pankaj Khimji (chairman of the Oman cricket association) was the one who got in touch with me in Sri Lanka. He inquired whether I could come and help to build Oman cricket.
At that time, I had no clue about the standard of Oman cricket or anything like that. He was insistent that I come and improve the standard. I started on an assignment basis. I did that for almost one-and-a-half years. And then in 2013, I signed on a long-term basis, and then I started living there. So, that is how I started.
Oman gained Associate status in 2014. It has played in three T20 World Cups. It played in the Asia Cup for the first time. What would you say about the progress from where you started to where it is now?
Well, I would start by saying that I was fortunate to work with a cricket board that gave full support and encouragement. I would say there were a few hiccups during this period of time, but on the whole, we were ascending. We were climbing the ladder. As you say, we have participated in a few T20 World Cup tournaments.
We got the ODI status (in 2019), which was a very big thing for Oman. And also we have built the infrastructure. We installed new lights and grandstands at the ground and we have a newly-done indoor facility. It has seven pitches — two are fast, three are normal and two are slow tracks. The indoor facility is fully air-conditioned.
The infrastructure paved the way for me to go ahead and build the team. As far as performances, there were one or two major ones. We beat Ireland, one of the Test-playing countries, in a 50-over contest in 2023. People then started recognising Oman.
You mentioned that it has been an ascending journey. In terms of the road ahead, obviously there is the T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka. Any specific targets?
We are playing the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Oman in October. The top three teams will get into the World Cup. And in preparation for that, we have invited Kerala to play against us. We have also played against Karnataka in preparation for previous tournaments. These domestic teams from India are very competitive. When you play and perform against them, you get confidence.
There is a gulf between the Test teams and the Associate nations. You were a key part of Sri Lanka getting Test status in 1982 and climbing the ladder. In your experience, what is the way around the lack of opportunities for Associates and how can they improve?
I have always said that you have to play with better sides if you want to improve. I will always say that the Associate members should get an opportunity with the big boys. Fortunately in Asia, we have five Test-playing countries. The Associates must get the opportunity to play against some of these five teams. If you want to improve, you have to get beaten first. Only then will you learn the lessons. It doesn’t have to be their main side. It can be against the ‘A’ teams.
You donned various hats in Sri Lankan cricket. What was the most fulfilling accomplishment?
Well, the biggest achievement was the team winning the 1996 World Cup when I was manager. Winning the World Cup is the pinnacle. That was the greatest achievement. And then there are a few other Tests that were special. At Chepauk, I got two hundreds in a Test. And then almost repeated that at Lord’s.
I would also say registering the first Test win against Kapil Dev’s team in Sri Lanka. So those were some of the highlights of my days with Sri Lanka cricket.
In your playing days, you were known for your flamboyant batting and the ability to hit sixes when bats weren’t as good. How did you hone these skills?
These things came naturally. But I would say these days, the bats are different. You can see many sixes hit these days. The techniques are also a bit different. But if you talk about me, I would say that it was instinctive. I was always on the attacking side. It was my style as a batsman and even as a captain.
You mentioned missing out on twin hundreds at Lord’s. You would have been part of an elusive club if you had done that. Is that a regret?
I must say I regret a lot the fact that I missed those few runs in the second innings. Even then I regretted it after the innings. And I continue to regret it now to be very frank.
You had some great innings against India in your time. What was it about the Indian bowling that you scored a lot of runs in those contests?
I don’t know for what reason, but I always had a liking for India. The runs always came against the Indians. It just happened. It was perhaps just a coincidence that whenever I played against India, I scored runs. I was so grateful for that.
What is your take on Sri Lankan cricket right now? It has had its disappointments in recent years. Do you think there are major concerns to sort out?
Before I say anything, I must mention that I have been away from Sri Lankan cricket for almost 12 to 13 years now. But from outside, when I look at the team, I think there are a good bunch of young cricketers with a lot of talent.
They have Sanath Jayasuriya as coach with them. And you cannot get anyone better than Sanath. Because he knows Sri Lankan cricket inside-out. He has performed to the maximum in international cricket. And the boys look up to him. That is very important. Whatever he says, the boys will accept. And you can’t get a better person than Sanath to guide them.
It is the right time for Sanath to be there with them. They will go from strength to strength.
What is your view on the state of international cricket? There seem to be concerns about the increasing influence of T20 cricket…
I would say that T20 cricket is quite popular and it is going very strong. There are advantages and drawbacks.
The fielding standards have improved. In Test matches back in the day, we would get about 80 runs in a session and be very happy about it. But now, you see teams going past 100 runs in one session.
You see some entertaining cricket. The negative side is for people who like five days of Test cricket and would like to see a batter building an innings. Or they would like to see a bowler working out a batter and planning a dismissal.
You can look at it from two different angles. Yes, T20 cricket is being played all over the world. But at the same time, I would like to see Test cricket as number one. You have to get the correct balance.