Kathmandu. Sri Lanka's newly appointed Test captain Kusal Mendis has said that his team is fully prepared for the Test series against Pakistan. He expressed confidence that his team's batting line-up will perform well even on pitches that assist Pakistan's green and fast bowlers. The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka starts on Monday in Rawalpindi. Speaking to reporters before the match, Mendis claimed that the pitch condition would not cause major problems for his team as Sri Lanka has experienced batsmen. He said that experienced players like Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, and himself would play an important role in batting. He also stated that Sri Lanka's recent performance in England has boosted the team's confidence. 'We know that Pakistan may provide a pitch of a different nature this time. But our batsmen have the ability and experience to face it. We have experienced players like Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, and myself. Everyone knows how to play on a green pitch. We also played well in England. So I have no doubt about my batting line-up,' Mendis said. For Mendis, who took over the Test team captaincy from Dhananjaya de Silva in early October, the series against Pakistan is the first major challenge in his new responsibility. He has been playing cricket in Pakistan for a long time. Sri Lanka has played One Day and T20 cricket in Pakistan for more than a month. He said that although the continuous tour and hotel stay were somewhat difficult, the team has kept itself focused on the game. Mentioning that the nature of limited-overs cricket and Test cricket is different, Mendis said he was happy to play Test cricket and captain. 'Test cricket is very different compared to One Day and T20 cricket. Many of us like to play Test cricket. I am also happy to captain the Test team. Staying in Pakistan for more than a month is not easy. But we have kept ourselves busy through team activities and practice,' he said. However, Sri Lanka's recent Test performance has not been as expected. The team has not been able to win the Test series played against the West Indies and India this year. Nevertheless, Mendis claimed that both the bowling and batting sides of the team are balanced.
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