Sanath Jayasuriya, one of the most dangerous batsmen in international cricket during his days, expressed dismay on Thursday over the island nation's ongoing economic crisis, saying it is regrettable that the people are suffering through this, according to news agency ANI.
The Sri Lankan batting icon also referred to India as "big brother" and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing assistance throughout the crisis.
"You know as always as a neighbour, the big brother of the next to our country has been helping us… We are very grateful to the Indian government and the Prime Minister (Modi). So, for us even to survive it is not very easy at the moment, things are going through… I hope that things will change and also with the help of India and other countries and we are trying to come out from this situation," Jayasuriya told ANI.
So far, India has sent approximately 270,000 MT of fuel to Sri Lanka to help alleviate the island's power crisis, which has resulted in severe power outages.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, with food and fuel shortages affecting a substantial portion of the population.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy has been in free fall.
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