KL Rahul vs Kusal Mendis: Dissecting two upcoming stars

When India met Sri Lanka in the final of the 2011 World Cup in Mumbai, the cricketing World were witnessing two great teams, boasting of several veteran cricketers, and others playing in the prime of their respective careers. The final six over long-on from MS Dhoni off Nuwan Kukasekara not only signalled the end of Sri Lanka in the finals, but also started a decline in their ODI cricketing fortunes.

If the decline began in 2011, it reached a pinnacle with the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan. India, on the other hand, inspite of losing a player that had adorned their team for over two decades, grew from strength to strength under a powerful skipper. They were aided by a plethora of talent coming through the ranks while Sri Lanka found few replacements for their retiring cricketers.

Lankan cricket started investing more in the future and in came several young, talented cricketers whose little experience in First-class cricket was overshadowed by the promise they showed in their teenage years. India invested in youth as well, but for completely different reasons. The reluctance to move past senior cricketers, however, meant very few of the young players tried by India made a mark across formats and remained a fixture in the squads.

One player who did break through for India and stamped his presence across all formats was Lokesh Rahul, the Karnataka lad who impressed Virat Kohli so much in the IPL that his escalation to the national team almost became a given. Lanka weren't falling much behind either in terms of blooding youth but the most promising among them turned out to be Kusal Mendis, a gifted young batsman with a steady head and wristy strokes.

However, the careers of Kusal Mendis and KL Rahul prior to inclusion in their respective national teams were as contrasting as they come and their start in International cricket was no different.

Early careers

Kusal Mendis played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's victory over India in the Champions Trophy

Rahul appeared for India in the 2010 under-19 World Cup before making the step up to the national squad in 2014, the year in which Kusal Mendis turned out for his under-19 side in a World Cup. The Indian opener had a tough start to his tour of Australia but made amends with a hundred in his second Test at Sydney. Rahul also started his ODI career with a bang, slamming a hundred on debut against Zimbabwe.

He rose to prominence after a sensational Duleep Trophy final in 2014-15, when he scored 185 and 130 representing South Zone against Central Zone. Although his team eventually lost a close encounter, Rahul had done enough to earn a ticket to Australia with the national team.

Mendis, on the other hand, had a silent start to his International career. Not much was known about this talented batsman when he made his debut during the second Test against West Indies at home. Although he did not make an immediate impact, Mendis was noticed for his adept footwork and attractive stroke play in the tour of England, where his only major substantial score was a half-century.

Contrasting roles in the side

In Rahul's case, India had two settled openers in Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan for the newbies to overcome before cementing a spot in the side. A pristine stroke maker, Rahul had a penchant for scoring big hundreds and this made him a valuable player in Ranji Cricket. With Dhawan and Vijay picking up injuries, Rahul's chances came and he grabbed them with both hands.

Dhawan's poor performances in the Test team also helped Rahul nail down the spot as one of India's first-choice openers. But he had little burden at the top considering the wealth of talent that followed in the middle-order. That wasn't the case for poor Mendis though, who had immense expectations placed on his shoulders right from his debut. Sri Lanka were in search of a new hero after the retirement of their batting stalwarts, and Mendis turned out to be a talent worth craving for.

That did not make the young lad's job any easier. However, he took to International cricket like fish to water and stamped his presence in Sri Lanka's Test squad with a couple of eye-catching performances. Although, his career average still hovers around the 30 mark, Mendis has shown enough proof for the selectors to persist with him.

The memorable knocks

Rahul's ability to be positive at the wicket makes him a vital component of India's batting

KL Rahul was known as a proper Test batsman until he lit up the 2016 IPL with mesmerising performances at no.4. He finished the season as RCB's third highest run scorer behind Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The performance put him in the frame for limited-overs cricket and a debut hundred sealed his spot. He also cracked a hundred in a T20 against West Indies, making him the third India player after Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to score hundreds in all three formats.

However, Rahul would like to remember his Sydney hundred in just his second Test as one of his best knocks. Scrutinised after his single-digit scores of 3 and 1 on debut, Rahul switched roles to open the innings and cracked one of the finest hundreds by an Indian opener on Australian soil. He once again revelled in the longer format of the game when England toured India, smashing 199 against the visitors in Chennai in the final Test.

Mendis, on the hand, also mustered his best knock against the Aussies. A terrific 176 by the young star at Pallekele gave Sri Lanka their second Test win over Australia. Mendis became the youngest to score a Test hundred against Australia in the process.

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He underlined his talent once again in the recently concluded Champions Trophy by adding a match turning 159 run stand with Danushka Gunathilaka at The Oval against India. Chasing 322 for victory, Mendis and Gunathilaka ensured it was the highest successful run chase in the Champions Trophy.

Consistency vs Inconsistency in overall record

Mendis has played a lot of his early matches in difficult conditions outside the sub-continent

While Mendis has quite a few standout knocks in his short career thus far, it is Rahul who has adopted consistency in his methods. He boasts of better overall numbers across all formats. Mendis, who started with a bang, had tough tours of England and South Africa and this has played a huge role in a below par average at this stage of his career.

KL Rahul's overall record

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	HS
Tests	17	1200	44.44	199
ODIs	6	220	55.0	100*
T20s	8	280	56.0	110*

Compared to Mendis, Rahul has played a vast majority of his matches within the sub-continent, aiding in his better overall numbers. Mendis is the more flamboyant of the two but is a little too flashy on seaming wickets, which has plotted his downfall against skillful bowlers in England and South Africa.

Kusal Mendis - overall record

Format	Matches	Runs	Average	HS
Tests	16	1106	35.67	194
ODIs	33	1087	36.23	102
T20s	8	74	9.25	22

An injury had forced Rahul out of the Champions Trophy but he will return in the Test series against Sri Lanka later this month, where he is expected to be India's first-choice opener alongside Murali Vijay. He would also be pitted against Kusal Mendis during the series, with both batsmen expected to shine.