Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that he believes Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning side with their aggressive and unique style of batting gave birth to T20 cricket. 

In an interaction with the members of the World Cup winning squad including Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena and Romesh Kaluwitharana, PM Modi discussed cricket and the strong relationship between India and Sri Lanka during his visit to the island nation.

“Welcome, I feel very happy that I got the opportunity to meet all of you. Your team is such that is still remembered in India, the beating that you guys gave, the people have still not forgotten,” the PM joked.

He highlighted how India's 1983 World Cup win and Sri Lanka’s 1996 victory played transformative roles in the global cricketing landscape.

"When India won the World Cup in 1983 and when you guys did it in 1996, both victories changed the world of cricket. I believe that the birth of T20’s was from the way you guys played in that tournament,” he said.

The PM recalled India’s visit to Sri Lanka in 1996 despite a bomb blast, calling it a strong symbol of sportsmanship and enduring friendship. The PM gave an example of how he visited Sri Lanka immediately after the 2019 terror attacks and said that the spirit of India remains the same.

“I remember when India decided that ‘we will go and play’ when all teams were running away after the bomb blasts, I had seen that all the players appreciated us. The difficulties that Sri Lanka were facing, we did not leave them alone. Sportsman spirit won against the bomb blasts and we still carry the same spirit,” said PM Modi.

The Sri Lankan players requested PM Modi to support the development of a high-quality cricket ground in the northern part of Sri Lanka, especially Jaffna.

The cricketers appreciated and thanked PM Modi for India's generous assistance during Sri Lanka's economic crisis. PM Modi reiterated India’s commitment to the "Neighbourhood First" policy, citing India's support to Myanmar during a recent earthquake as another example.

(IANS)