Gautam Gambhir Gary Kirsten for India vs Sri Lanka. Image Credits: AFP
Ahead of the all-important second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, the hosts have appointed a new batting coach just days before the match on August 23.
Sri Lanka Cricket have effectively appointed Hashan Tillakaratne as the batting coach of the men's team with immediate effect. He will work with the national team players at SLC's National High Performance Centre, starting from August 21, as Sri Lanka look to level the series against India after losing the first Test in Galle.
Tillakaratne's appointment is seen as a crucial move that could spark a comeback amid the woeful state of Sri Lanka's batting department.
Who is Hashan Tillakaratne, and how experienced is he as a coach?
Hashan Tillakaratne is a 59-year-old coach with vast and considerable experience in the field. He has previously served as the batting coach of the Sri Lankan men's national team and as the head coach of the women's team, further underlining why he could bring an immediate impact given his familiarity with players at different levels.
Tillakaratne's appointment has been confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket and will run until December 31, 2027, making it almost one and a half years of uninterrupted service unless the mentor decides to step down himself or is removed from the board itself.
Tillakaratne was also a distinguished player for Sri Lanka, having scored more than 8,200 runs in international cricket. He played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs and was also part of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning team.
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Tillakaratne was first appointed as the Sri Lanka Under-19 head coach in 2018 and continued in the role until the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. He was also the head coach of the Kandy Tuskers during the inaugural Lanka Premier League season in 2020.
After that, he took charge of Sri Lanka's women's team as head coach in June 2021 and led them to the Asia Cup final in 2022. He also signed a two-year contract with the Bangladesh women's cricket team in November 2022 before eventually returning to the Sri Lankan setup to share his expertise with his countrymen.
Why did Sri Lanka need a new batting coach?
Just prior to Hashan Tillakaratne's appointment, former India opener Vikram Rathour was the batting coach of the Sri Lanka men's national cricket team. However, his stint was on a consultancy basis from January 18 to March 10, after Thilina Kandamby exited his role as the team's main batting coach.
Nevertheless, Rathour’s exit and the upcoming assignments put pressure on the Sri Lankan management to find a quick solution. With the second Test against India approaching, Hashan Tillakaratne's appointment could provide the team with some much-needed stability in the batting department.
Sri Lanka will now hope that the experienced coach can immediately address some of the technical and consistency-related problems that have affected the team.
Kirsten-Gambhir conversation fuelled coaching upgrade?
Interestingly enough, the appointment of Hashan Tillakaratne comes just a day after Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten had a conversation with India head coach Gautam Gambhir.
The two have shared a strong association in the past, with Kirsten having mentored the Indian team when Gambhir was still a player.
Now, with the tables turned and Gautam Gambhir himself in charge of the Indian team, Kirsten revealed that the two coaches had a lengthy conversation following the first Test. However, their discussion was not about their past association but rather about the challenges of coaching in Test cricket and the strategies required to get the best out of their respective teams.
"We didn't do much reminiscing; we actually spoke about coaching and the challenges of coaching, and we both have strong values around Test cricket. So we had a good conversation around that, obviously trying to help our players play the best cricket they can, in both countries," Kirsten told reporters during the post-match press conference.
Kirsten further revealed that both coaches share similar ideas about how they want their teams to approach Test cricket.
"So we spoke about that, and I think we have very similar ideas about how we want our teams to play Test cricket. So yeah, we had a good conversation about that," he added.
Interestingly, Sri Lanka's decision to bring in an experienced batting coach came immediately after this conversation. While there is no confirmed connection between Gambhir and Tillakaratne's appointment, the timing certainly makes for an interesting subplot ahead of the second Test.
Kirsten and Gambhir's discussion could have provided an exchange of ideas between two coaches who understand each other's philosophies, although any direct influence on Sri Lanka's decision to appoint Tillakaratne would be purely speculative.
Sri Lanka's Batting Performance In The Last Two Years Across Formats
Across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, Sri Lanka's top order has averaged 30.84 across 78 matches in the last two years, while striking at only 81.66.
When looked at more closely, particularly in Tests, Sri Lanka's top order has averaged 35.94 across 14 matches during the same period. What is even more concerning is their performance in T20Is, where Sri Lanka has managed a miserable top-order average of 24.46 since 2024, along with a suboptimal strike rate of 132.55 across 40 matches.
These numbers clearly show how difficult it has been for Sri Lanka to maintain consistency with the bat across formats. Their averages and strike rates have been affected continuously, highlighting the need for improvement at every level.
Hence, the immediate change in the batting coaching setup was deemed necessary. With Sri Lanka now preparing for a tough battle, Hashan Tillakaratne's appointment could prove to be a timely move for the hosts as they look to fight back and level the series.
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