Another former cricketer of Sri Lanka calls India ‘elder brother’

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A day after former Sri Lanka cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya expressed his gratitude to ‘big brother’ India for helping his country amid its worst economic crisis in decades, another former cricketer from the island nation, Roshan Mahanama, echoed the statement, saying that India has always been an ‘elder brother.’

“We need to have the support of countries like India. It has always been an elder brother. We have good relations with Pakistan, and, to an extent, with China. We need all of them to support us. But don’t look out for an ulterior motive,” Mahanama, Jayasuriya’s former team mate, told news agency ANI.

The former ICC match referee also accused his nation’s governments of neglecting the people. “We’ve been suffering for the last 74 years as our governments have only focused on how they can remain in power. For solutions, they need to start talking to international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund,” he remarked.

The 55-year-old former cricketer has been a vocal supporter of the ongoing protests, and has also criticised Sri Lankan politicians. “As a true patriot of this country, I urge everyone to keep the pressure & show your disappointment in a very peaceful manner without harming yourselves and damaging any property of the country,” Mahanama tweeted on Thursday.

“Since I have no respect for most of the leaders of our country, I’m of the opinion that we have to come together to hold our leaders accountable for their actions. I request every citizen irrespective of race, religion or political background to come forward to join the protests,” he added.

Meanwhile, India, on Wednesday, sent two fuel consignments as assistance to its neighbour. Together, the consignments carried 36,000 tonnes of petrol and 40,000 tonnes of diesel, India’s high commission to Sri Lanka informed. (Hindustan Times)