NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka heaped praise on batting consultant Vikram Rathour on Thursday, crediting him with bringing a fresh attacking mindset to the squad ahead of the T20 World Cup. Shanaka said Rathour's focus on positive intent has allowed the batters to express themselves with greater freedom.
Rathour, who played a key role in India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph during his five-year stint with the national side, was roped in by Sri Lanka as batting consultant last month for the ICC marquee event.
"Vikram Rathore being a good addition to our side," Shanaka said while addressing a captains' day event alongside seven other skippers from participating teams.
"His knowledge and his nature -- he always wanted us to go in the attacking mood which allows most players to free themselves which I really do like, he is a good value addition to the team."
Shanaka and his side have been under mounting pressure following a string of underwhelming home performances since the start of the year. Sri Lanka suffered a 1–2 T20I series defeat to Pakistan in early January before being comprehensively outplayed by England in both white-ball series that wrapped up earlier this week.
While the batting unit faltered across both assignments, the Sri Lankan captain came out in defence of his batters, backing them despite the disappointing results.
"Don't see any failures in the batters it always depended on the wickets and the choice of shots we played," Shanaka said, adding that there will be improvements in the World Cup.
The team faced anger from irate local fans at Pallekele after losing the T20I series two days ago.
"I hope for support from the fans. It is important for us to play well for their sake and for the good of the team. We are aware of the national pride," Shanaka said.
"Fans have been supporting us. I will tell the fans that we didn’t play well in the last 3 games to get the correct results though we tried hard. We are sorry for that."
Sri Lanka will play their first match of the T20 World Cup against Ireland on Sunday.
