Sri Lanka Cricket announced the appointment of Vikram Rathour as the team’s new batting coach on Wednesday. This move comes ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 which is set to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7. With an aim to strengthen their support staff for the showpiece event, SLC roped in the former Indian batting coach who had a good record with the Men in Blue. As per multiple media reports, Rathour is expected to join the Sri Lankan team by January 15 with hos arrival coming at the right tome for the island nation. Sri Lanka have started their build-up for the marquee event with a three-match T20I series against Pakistan beginning today (Wednesday).
Both the sides will lock horns in the series opener in Dambulla with the second and third game also taking place at the same venue on Friday and Sunday respectively. Meanwhile, Rathour would be keeping an eye on the performance of the players in the series keeping in view the World Cup which is just a month away. The former India batter has previously served as the batting coach for India under head coach Rahul Dravid, a period during which India captured the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. His appointment signals Sri Lanka’s intent to revamp and strengthen their batting approach after mixed results in recent global tournaments.
