COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from his position with immediate effect on Thursday, saying it was time to "pass the mantle to the next generation".
The 35-year-old, who has played 69 Tests and scored more than 4,400 runs, including 13 centuries, will, however, remain available for selection as a player.
De Silva, who took over as Test captain in January 2024, conveyed his decision in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket's selection committee.
"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.
Ashley de Silva, the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, thanked Dhananjaya for his contribution in the longest format.
"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."
De Silva led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests after taking over from Dimuth Karunaratne. The island nation was successful in winning seven of those matches.
As captain, he scored 1130 runs at an average of 36.45 and picked nine wickets as well.