Emboldened by recent success against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka's batting coach Thilina Kandambi remains optimistic about overcoming the Tigers in their crucial T20 World Cup match. This game has become a must-win for Sri Lanka to keep their Super 8 hopes alive after a six-wicket defeat to South Africa in their opening match, where they were bowled out for just 77 runs.

With two teams advancing from Group D to the Super 8 phase, another loss could be devastating for Sri Lanka. However, Kandambi is confident that the players can rebound by maintaining their composure and learning from their mistakes.

"We had a good chat yesterday with the boys, and they have realized the mistakes that they have done. Also, I think they are experienced enough to come back in this game. We have spoken about it - a lot of things, how we are going to play up," Kandambi said during a pre-match conference on Wednesday.

He emphasized the importance of adaptability, "If the A game is not happening, how we transfer our mental approach to the B game...so, we have spoken about it. I think boys are pretty much up for it."

Despite the high stakes, Kandambi downplayed the pressure, citing Sri Lanka's recent successes against Bangladesh as a source of confidence. "I think we have played good cricket against Bangladesh in the recent past. So, we have that confidence and momentum going through this game," he remarked.

Sri Lanka's subpar performance thus far might give Bangladesh an edge, even though the Tigers have struggled with form. Kandambi acknowledged this, stating, "Recent past, I mean on this tour actually we played a couple of practice games and we lost the first game and the first match as well, but coming into this tournament actually the previous series, bilateral series against Bangladesh - we won and we played - all together I think we played very good cricket there. So, with that confidence I think boys know what to do tomorrow."

He highlighted the team's preparedness by analyzing Bangladesh's strengths and weaknesses. "We have analyzed their [Bangladesh's] strengths and weaknesses as well. So, we have played each other more in recent past, so because of that I think boys are confident enough."

Kandambi believes that a single strong performance could turn things around for Sri Lanka. "It's a matter of one game actually - we didn't bat well, we accept that. But the way our bowlers and the fielders fought back, defending such a small total in New York, which is fantastic. And you can, I mean, we also have the confidence with our boys? I'm sure the batters have played a lot of cricket, so they can bounce back at any time."

He also cautioned against underestimating Bangladesh despite their recent losses. "It's all about the process I think, how we're going to approach the game from ball one. That's what I said earlier also that our boys are confident because we had a good series against Bangladesh recently. So, we can take that confidence and move forward."