Mathews admitted that he hadn't heard a lot about Mendis before he was picked to make his Test debut late last year. "The selectors said he was really good, but I hadn't seen him much to be honest," Mathews said. "Once we went to New Zealand, I thought Kusal was pretty special as well. The way he handled himself at the top of the order - it was a couple of tough tours for him as well in New Zealand and England, where it was seaming around."
The fact that Mendis delivered in his first Test match, against an opponent whom Sri Lanka had beaten only once prior to this win, delighted Mathews. "You don't always have to have a lot of experience," he said. "There can be exceptional players like him who can walk into the international scene and start performing. Especially playing his first Test against Australia and their very good attack, Mendis showed a lot of class and a lot of temperament.
"It was not easy to bat on that wicket. It was turning rapidly and their bowlers were bowling well and fast as well. The way he played, he made it look so easy. Most of us were struggling to get runs. The way he batted, I'm very excited for the future."
The skipper was also pleased with the efforts of his spinners Rangana Herath and debutant Lakshan Sandakan. While Herath picked up nine wickets in the game, Sandakan endured a dream debut by picking up seven.
"When Rangana is bowling, he is attacking but he also contains," Mathews said. "We needed someone like Sandakan. Unfortunately, Dilruwan didn't bowl that well in the game, and I'm sure he'll come back strongly. But it was very pleasing to see Sandakan bowling his googlies, and also the batsmen were finding it very tough on this wicket. He will take the confidence of this performance forward."
The skipper admitted that his team badly needed a win after a dry spell over the last few months and went on to dedicate the victory to the fans. He also insisted that the team never lost hope despite the recent run of poor results and praised the youngsters for their inputs.
"After a rough, tough six to eight months, we needed that victory," Mathews said. "In that time, there was a situation where fans were turning away from us. As cricketers we feel that, because when we play well, everyone loves you. Even when you lose they may love you, but they are also disappointed. The best thing was to win this match for the fans.
"It's a great win for those who stayed with us, and we thank them because that support means a lot. In the past six months, we as a team got a lot of stick. But that's part and parcel of the game. When we do well we get praised. When we do badly we get a bit of stick. I think we as players need to understand that.
"The atmosphere in dressing room has changed a lot. Even though we lost in the recent past, we've not given up. We always had hopes. We always helped each other. Every team goes through this transition period, and once you click, you can go a long way. That's what we believed. We kept helping the youngsters and even the youngsters threw in their ideas. It was a collective effort from the whole team." he concluded.
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