Jayasuriya is confident in the talent of the team, even after Rohit Kohli's retirement

The Sri Lankan team has enlisted the help of Rajasthan Royals' high-performance director Zubin Bharucha as they prepare for the T20I series against India, starting Saturday in Pallekele. Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya emphasised that India will miss the contributions of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja in the T20I format following their retirements after the T20 World Cup.

While Rohit and Kohli will participate in the subsequent three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, Jayasuriya pointed out that the hosts must capitalise on their absence in the shortest format. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India as the T20I captain, with Shubman Gill named his deputy.

"Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are among the best players in the world. Considering their talent and the cricket they have played, we all know their calibre, along with Jadeja," Jayasuriya said during a press meet, as quoted by the Associated Press. "Their absence will be a loss to the Indian team, and we have to take maximum advantage of that."

Jayasuriya also revealed that Sri Lanka's players have been working with Zubin Bharucha to prepare for the series. Despite several squad members being active in the Lankan Premier League (LPL), the team benefited from a six-day camp with Bharucha.

"We started the sessions right after the LPL. Most of the players were busy with the LPL, so they were playing cricket regularly, which is what we wanted," Jayasuriya explained. "We brought in Zubin from Rajasthan Royals for about six days of work, along with the other cricketers who finished with the LPL. I hope the players have learned what the management wanted them to practice and improve in terms of technique. The preparation was good, and we have two more days in Kandy before the T20 starts."

Jayasuriya emphasised the importance of learning new techniques and approaches to be effective as international cricketers. The Sri Lankan side has undergone frequent personnel changes over the past few seasons. Following a group-stage exit at the recent T20 World Cup, head coach Chris Silverwood stepped down, allowing Jayasuriya to take over as interim head coach. Former skipper Mahela Jayawardena resigned as high-performance consultant, and T20I skipper Wanindu Hasaranga also relinquished his role.

"It is up to the players now. We have done all the work in terms of practice and training with the best coaches. Sri Lanka Cricket has provided everything necessary, and now it is up to the players," Jayasuriya remarked on the current state of the team. "We need to give a little bit of time. I know it can be frustrating for the cricket-loving public, but please be patient and give us time. We are working hard with the players, and they will perform well."

Jayasuriya expressed confidence in the talent within the team. "We have enough talent. What we want is for them to go out in the middle and deliver — it’s not easy, we know that. We delivered when we were playing, and now it is time for this present team to perform. With what we are doing at the moment, they will deliver very soon," he added.