Colombo: Second-Lieutenant Ajantha Mendis is Sri Lanka’s man of the moment, but the 23-year-old has his feet firmly on the ground.

“I’m very happy... The bigger expectations won’t add to the pressure, though... Frankly, I don’t think of pressure at all,” Mendis told The Telegraph through an interpreter.

Speaking at the Taj Samudra on Sunday evening, a couple of hours after scripting a world record, he added: “While I’m very happy, I don’t intend celebrating tonight... There’s work which remains to be done...”

An excellent attitude that.

Mendis is, of course, real hot property in Sri Lanka now and has been signed by premier supermarket chain Cargills as corporate ambassador.

The announcement was made through a full-page ad in the leading Sunday newspapers.