Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara has become the eleventh batsman ever to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, reaching the milestone on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the MCG.

Sangakkara stood tall in a poor opening session for the tourists, getting the 40 runs he needed to reach the five-figure milestone just before lunch, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The 35-year-old reached 43 with a glorious cover drive for four from the bowling of Mitchell Johnson, the paper added.

Sangakkara averages more than 55 in a career spanning 115 Tests, and he reached 10,000 Tests runs in 195 innings, equalling the record previously shared by Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.

The only other Sri Lankan to have made more than 10,000 Test runs, current skipper Mahela Jayawardene, was dismissed for three on Wednesday.

Indian great Sachin Tendulkar tops the Test runs corers list with 15,645.

Sri Lanka has been bowled out for 156 in the first innings of the second Test.