Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down as Sri Lanka’s Test captain on Thursday. Dhananjaya, however, will continue to represent his country in the longest format as a player. Kusal Mendis was named as his successor.
“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter addressed to Sri Lanka’s selection committee.
Dhananjaya, who took over from Dimuth Karunaratne in January 2024, led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests. During his stint, Sri Lanka won seven matches, lost eight matches, and drew three games. In his last series as captain, Sri Lanka lost 0-1 to India in a two-match series.
With the bat, Dhananjaya scored 1130 runs at an average of 36.45 and picked nine wickets at a bowling average of 44.44.
Ashley de Silva, the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, thanked Dhananjaya for his contributions.
“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes him the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team.”
Mendis’ first assignment as new captain will be the first Test against Pakistan on November 9.
Published on Oct 08, 2026
