Sanath Jayasuriya reveals Rajasthan Royals' secret role in Sri Lanka's preparation for India series

Sri Lanka interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya praised Zubin Bharucha, the high-performance director for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), ahead of the white-ball series against India at home. Sanath Jayasuriya revealed that Zubin Bharucha helped the Sri Lanka team prepare for the three-match T20 series against India.

Zubin Bharucha played for Mumbai alongside players like Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in the 1990s. Bharucha is known for his intensive training techniques and played a key role in the development of Indian batters Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. He conducted a six-day training camp from July 18-24.

Sanath Jayasuriya will serve as head coach of Sri Lanka until the board finds a permanent candidate. The Sri Lanka team will face the in-form Indian team in a three-match series. The first T20I will be played on Saturday, July 27, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, where all three matches will be played.

We Were Lucky To Work With Zubin Bharucha - Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya said that the Sri Lanka team is lucky to work with Zubin Bharucha in preparation for the T20I series against India. Jayasuriya stated that the team will see positive results in the upcoming series.

"We were lucky to work with Zubin Bharucha. He is from Rajasthan Royals. Sanga introduced him. Some of the things that he did with our batters we had never done before. It was very refreshing. It was a splendid program. You will see the results during the India series," Sanath said.

After Sri Lanka's early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, head coach Chris Silverwood and skipper Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from their roles. Mahela Jayawardene, the high-performance consultant, also submitted his resignation.

We Just Started The Sessions - Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya stated that they managed to hold a six-day training camp with Zubin Bharucha despite many Sri Lankan players being busy with the Lanka Premier League. Jayasuriya noted that the sessions aimed to maximize the players' cricketing practice before the T20 series.

"We just started the sessions just after the LPL. Most of the players are playing the LPL, so they were busy with cricket and what we wanted (for them) was to play cricket as much as possible," he said, as per PTI.

"We got Zubin from Rajasthan Royals and we had about six days of work and also with the other cricketers who finished with the LPL. I hope the players have learnt what you (management) wanted to do in terms of practice and their technique. The preparation was good, and we have two more days in Kandy before the T20 starts," he added.

"It is important to learn as international cricketers new techniques, new approaches and shot making to be effective."

Sri Lanka will aim to take advantage of the absence of key Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian cricket team in the upcoming series. Jayasuriya has urged the Sri Lanka team to make the most of this opportunity to secure the victory in the series.

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