Bhanuka Rajapaksa Takes A U-Turn; praises India as he withdraws bat tampering allegations

Bhanuka Rajapaksa clarifies comments on Indian bats [Source: Crex_live, pratyush_no7/X.com]Explosive Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa has issued his clarification after his comments regarding Indian batters tampering with cricket bats to score big totals went viral on social media. The quotes that surfaced alleged that the Indian player was getting a superior quality bat from the manufacturers, which are not given to players from other countries.However, just hours after grabbing headlines, the player has openly come out and revealed the reasoning behind his comments. He wrote that they were lost in translation and taken out of context by the media outlets across the cricketing fraternity.Bhanuka Rajapaksa's clarification on bat tampering commentsOn Tuesday evening, while Colombo hosted the Pakistan vs USA clash, Rajapaksa took to his Twitter (X) and denied any intentions of questioning India's sportsmen spirit. On the contrary, the leftie batter, who last played for the Lankans in November 2025, revealed his admiration for the skills of the Indian batters and the infrastructure at India's disposal.According to him, the Indian cricket team finds itself at an advanced level, where the equipment standards remain best in the world. He also noted that he had nothing but respect for Indian players.The original interview, where the claims were allegedly made, was in his regional language, and the quotes were mistranslated, leading to confusion among fans.Bhanuka Rajapaksa @BhanukaRajapak3 Just a quick clarification! Feb 10, 2026, 5:57 PM Why is Bhanuka Rajapaksa not playing T20 World Cup 2026?It is worthy to note that these comments from Rajapaksa came in the middle of the T20 World Cup 2026, which is being co-hosted by Sri Lanka. Currently, the player finds himself out of the team, and he is working as an expert with the Sri Lankan media.He last played for Sri Lanka during the tri-series in Pakistan, where he scored 11 off 18 against Zimbabwe. That was also his only second appearance for the Islander in the calendar year, having faced New Zealand back in January. While he was a regular part of the team from 2019 to 2024, his inconsistency meant the likes of Kamil Mishara were preferred over him.Right now, he continues to feature in T20 leagues around the world alongside the Lankan domestic circuit. He has played 45 matches for them with 744 runs to his name at an average of 22.54 and a strike rate of 130.52. Additionally, he also played 13 matches for Punjab Kings in 2022-23 and scored 277 runs in 13 appearances with a healthy strike rate of 145.02.Sri Lanka eyes lost glory at home T20 World CupAs the co-host of the tournament alongside India, Sri Lanka have started the 2026 edition of the competition in high spirits after toppling Ireland in their tournament opener by 20 runs.They also have an injury-laden Australia in Group B alongside Zimbabwe and Oman, which makes it a considerably easier pathway to the Super 8s for them. Having last won the title back in 2014, right now it looks like an uphill task for them to lift the championship at home.However, they have all the tools, home conditions and support to believe in their chances of going deep in the tournament.