5 stars who emerged from 2014 Under 19 World Cup

#4 Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)

Mendis played one of the best Test innings of all-time on a deadly at Kandy

Sri Lankan Cricket team, now, is just a shadow of their past. After the retirement of Jayawardene and Sangakkara, Sri Lankans are undergoing a tumultuous phase and have been longing for a new saviour.

Luckily, they seem to have identified a gem. That too, at a very young age and his name is Kusal Mendis.

Mendis announced his arrival to the world Cricket when he played a sensational innings in Pallekele to help Sri Lanka defeat Australia from an 86-run deficit. When Sri Lanka annihilated Australia within three days in Galle, Mendis was the game's highest scorer on a dust bowl.

What a knock by the youngster @KusalMendis1 character and ability. Sri Lanka poised to win this now. What an innings. Outstanding

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) July 28, 2016

His ascendancy continued as he helped Sri Lanka chase down an improbable 321 against India at The Oval in a Champions Trophy game.

Mendis had captained the Sri Lankan U-19 team during the 2014 World Cup. He had a relatively quiet tournament and could score only 167 runs from his six innings. The failure did not dissuade the young superstar as he continuously performed well in their domestic circuit to earn a call-up for the national team.