New Zealand had roped him for one-off Test against Afghanistan, held in India.
Sri Lanka have appointed former India coach Vikram Rathour as their batting coach for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, starting February 7. Rathour will work with Sri Lanka, the 2014 T20 World Champions, who believe his hiring will help their batting, which hasn’t been consistent lately.
The 55-year-old Vikram Rathour is expected to join the Sri Lanka T20I squad on January 15, just in time for the important bilateral series against two-time champions England, leading up to the T20 World Cup 2026. The reason behind the move seems to be more strategic than anything, as India are the co-host for the marquee event. The pressure of expectations will challenge their players, and his experience and history of working with top international batters should help Sri Lanka go far in the tournament.
Notably, Sri Lanka are scheduled to host England for three ODIs and as many T20I matches before the T20 World Cup 2026. The three ODI series will commence on January 22 and conclude on January 27. The T20I series will run till February 3.
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Vikram Rathour boasts a huge coaching experience, having served the Indian cricket team for nearly six years. Initially, Rathour was part of the coaching staff led by Ravi Shastri from 2019 to 2021, replacing Sanjay Bangar. Although Shastri stepped down from India’s head coach position after the 2021 T20 World Cup, Rathour received an extension under Rahul Dravid’s coaching stint, from October 2021 to June 2025. During this period, India finished second in the ODI World Cup 2023 and won the T20 World Cup 2024.
Earlier, in September 2024, New Zealand Cricket hired him as batting coach for a one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida, but it was abandoned due to persistent rain.
He then joined the Rajasthan Royals as a batting coach for IPL 2025, alongside head coach Rahul Dravid. While Dravid stepped down from the role, Rathour continued with the Royals for IPL 2026.
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