Sri Lanka in Talks with India’s World Cup Winning Coach Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Sri Lanka Cricket is close to naming former India opener Vikram Rathour as the national team’s new batting coach ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Talks are moving in a positive direction, and an official call is expected soon.

Rathour, 55, was part of Rahul Dravid’s support staff and played an important role in India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024. He is currently working as assistant coach with Rajasthan Royals.

He earlier served as India’s batting coach from 2022 to 2024, a phase where several young batters settled into international cricket. Sri Lanka Cricket believes his calm approach and experience can help their batters find consistency.

If finalised, Rathour could join the Sri Lankan setup before the home T20I series against Pakistan. That series is part of a packed white ball schedule leading into the World Cup.

Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for three T20Is, followed by England for three ODIs and three T20Is. These matches are seen as key preparation games before the global event.

The move is aimed at bringing stability to a young Sri Lankan batting unit that has shown promise but struggled to deliver regularly in pressure situations.

Sri Lanka have already strengthened their support staff by appointing R Sridhar as fielding coach until the end of the World Cup. Sridhar recently ran a 10 day training camp and will officially join the squad on January 15.

With both Rathour and Sridhar, members of India’s World Cup winning backroom staff, Sri Lanka are clearly pushing for a fresh start in their preparations.

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be co hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Playing at home adds pressure on the Sri Lankan side to deliver strong results.

By bringing in experienced Indian coaches who know subcontinental conditions well, Sri Lanka Cricket hopes to lift batting and fielding standards ahead of the tournament.