Sri Lankan batsman Kusal Mendis has now set his sights on the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket and One Day International after becoming the youngest Islander to score 1000 runs in a calendar year in 2018.

The right-hander also became the first Sri Lankan batsman to hit six Test hundreds before turning 24, three of which came in 2018, as well as, finished the year with 1023 runs. The batsman has now set a target for himself on his way to 10,000 runs in both ODI and Tests.

Mendis told ESPNcricinfo, “I'm trying to score 10,000 runs in Tests and in one-dayers. But I can't do that in one shot. I've got to set myself little targets along the way. I've got to play for Sri Lanka for eight or nine more years, at least. I'm hoping to get to 1000 runs every year, so I can get there quickly.”

The 23-year-old, who has amassed 2464 Test runs and 1404 ODI runs since his debut in 2015, had finished 2016 and 2017 averaging 34.64 and 33.45 and received a lot of criticism from some corners.

The batsman further said on the same, “People were suggesting I wasn't playing for the team, and I was hurt because I would never do that. When people say things like that, they've also got to take into account: how old is the person we're criticizing? What has he done for the team in the past? Has he actually done anything worth throwing mud at him for?”

Mendis signed off by saying, “We don't think about that enough. So my advice to players coming up from U-19 level would be: if you can take that kind of unfair criticism and not let it affect you, then you can stay on social media. But because I wasn't able to do that, I got out.”

(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)