Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent two-day visit to Colombo, had the opportunity to meet some of the legendary players from Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning cricket team. The meeting saw iconic Sri Lankan cricketers like Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena, and Romesh Kaluwitharana in attendance.
PM Modi took to X to share a few images from his interaction with the Sri Lankan legend. He captioned the post"Cricket connect! Delighted to interact with members of the 1996 Sri Lankan cricket team, which won the World Cup that year. This team captured the imagination of countless sports lovers!"
A video capturing this engaging conversation went viral on social media, where PM Modi reflected on how both Indiaâs 1983 World Cup victory and Sri Lankaâs 1996 triumph were pivotal in transforming the global cricket scene.
Jayasuriya makes request to PM Modi
Durign the interaction, Jayasuriya also made a special request to PM Modi, asking for Indiaâs help in establishing an international-standard cricket ground in Jaffna. Jayasuriya said,"If India could assist in setting up an international ground in Jaffna, it would be a huge boost for the people in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka,".
PM Modi responded warmly, emphasizing Indiaâs commitment to its âNeighbourhood Firstâ policy. He said, "Itâs heartening to hear such kind words from you, Jayasuriya. India has always prioritized its neighbors, and we will extend our help when needed,".
He added,âIt will send a strong message that a cricket leader wants international matches to be held in Jaffna. I assure you that my team will take a note and see what can be done,â
Why did Jayasuriya bat for cricket infrastructure in Jaffna?
Jaffna, the northern capital and the cultural capital of the Tamil minority, has a long history of cricket. However, the region was under the LLTE regime for over three decades due to which the area had not seen any cricket infrastructure development.
The area which was also impacted heavily by the civil war, saw an estimated 1,00,000 people killed there during the era of the war.
Despite lack of infrastructure, a handful of Tamils have represented the island nation.The most prominent of them being the worldâs highest Test wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan, who is of Indian origin and cricketer-turned-commentator Russell Arnold. A Sport like cricket will lead to renewed hopes for development in Jaffna.
