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Sri Lanka rope in ex-India fielding coach R. Sridhar for T20 World Cup 2026 push

Aakash Saini

R. Sridhar to coach Sri Lanka [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x]R. Sridhar to coach Sri Lanka [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x]

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former Indian cricketer R. Sridhar as the new fielding coach for the Sri Lankan men’s cricket team up until the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Sridhar previously served as the fielding coach of the Indian national team between the years 2014 and 2021.

He was replaced by T. Dilip as India’s fielding coach in 2021 after Rahul Dravid became the head coach of the Indian national team.

R Sridhar to bring Indian pedigree to Sri Lanka camp

On Wednesday, December 17, SLC named R. Sridhar as Sri Lanka’s new fielding coach. The former Indian domestic cricketer will remain with the Sri Lanka men’s national team as their fielding coach up until the conclusion of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in March.

The 55-year-old will now focus on enhancing Sri Lanka’s fielding, and some of his immediate tasks will be to guide the team in their upcoming series involving Pakistan and England.

The former Hyderabad cricketer expressed his excitement in joining the Sri Lanka team, and claimed that his role is to “nurture an environment where athleticism, awareness, and pride in the field can grow naturally”.

Sridhar previously conducted a 10-day specialized fielding program at the National High Performance Center for the Sri Lanka team earlier this year.

R Sridhar, a BCCI Level 3 qualified Coach, holds a legion of coaching experience. Apart from serving the Indian national team as fielding coach between the years 2014 and 2021, the ex-cricketer also served the Punjab Kings franchise under the same capacity back during the 2014 edition of the IPL.

Last year in mid-2024, he was appointed as the assistant coach of the Afghanistan cricket team. He has additionally coached California Knights in US Masters T10 tournament and the Andhra team in Indian domestic cricket.