Representatives of Sri Lanka’s Tamil parties with Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and his delegation in Colombo on April 19, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Engineers are working steadily along the A35 near Kilinochchi, preparing and supporting bridge restoration efforts to reconnect disrupted road networks and ease movement for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah. Photo: x/@IndiainSL

Colombo:

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will undertake a three-day visit to India from Sunday, his first overseas visit after assuming office.

During his visit, Dissanayake will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.

He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy Minister of Finance Anil Jayantha Fernando.

Dissanayaka’s visit to India is expected to further bolster the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi on Friday.

Issues relating to maritime security cooperation are likely to figure in talks during Dissanayaka’s visit, it said.

The December 15-17 visit is Dissanayake’s first overseas visit since being elected the island nation’s president on September 23.

Apart from his meetings with India’s political leadership, Dissanayaka will attend a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka. He is also scheduled to visit Bodh Gaya, a statement from MEA said.

The invitation to visit New Delhi was extended by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who visited Colombo less than a fortnight after Dissanayake’s victory and was the first foreign dignitary to visit the island nation since the National People’s Power (NPP) government came to power.

Dissanayake’s visit was on hold until the completion of the parliamentary election in November when his NPP recorded a historic win, gaining absolute control of the 225-member Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Colombo:

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said his vision for future ties with India holds a stronger economic relationship. Sri Lanka will vote to elect its next President in two days and Mr Wickremesinghe is seeking another term in office. The elections will be key in deciding the future reforms in the country, currently reeling under an unprecedented economic crisis.

“We need to have a stronger economic relationship. Our social and cultural relationship has been going on for 1,000 years,” Mr Wickremesinghe told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

“We want to encourage more investments from India and more tourists from India. We are working together with India on infrastructure projects like the Trincomalee Harbour,” he added.

He further said, his priority areas of focus with regards to ties with India includes, renewable energy, for which there is a big demand in India. “When the Singapore-India cables come we can get on to that,” he said. It is understood that India and Singapore have planned to connect their power grids through an undersea cable via Andaman and Nicobar, which will allow India to sell renewable energy to Singapore.

Sri Lanka’s economy suffered a near total collapse in 2022 after a severe shortage of foreign currency reserves. The island country was unable to finance even the most essential imports, causing massive social unrest. Then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, which led to then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe being elected as president.

“I took over as President when the country was in utter chaos and no one thought we could stabilise this fast. But I knew from experience that we could go ahead provided we had the support of the International Monetary Fund and our creditors,” the President said.

“I have ensured we come back to normalcy. Law and order is functioning, democracy is functioning and although we have stabilised the economy, now we have to decide our path. Are we going to get into the same old ways or are we working towards (building) a strong export economy? I have asked for a mandate to go ahead,” Mr Wickremesinghe said.

The leader also talked about his key rivals. “I find my two main opponents are not aware about the economy. One claims to be a market economy, he’s giving everything virtually away for free. Where is the money for that? We don’t have the money for that.”

One of his key rivals is Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, who is the leader of a once-marginal Marxist party tarnished by its violent past. The party led two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s that left more than 80,000 people dead, and won less than four per cent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections. 

Sri Lanka’s crisis has proven an opportunity for Mr Dissanayaka, who has seen a surge of support.

According to news agency AFP, fellow opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, once dismissed as the princeling dynast of a former president assassinated in 1993 during the country’s decades-long civil war, is also favoured to make a strong showing. He has campaigned on a pledge to secure concessions from the IMF.

“The Samagi Jana Balawegaya wants to give everything away for free. Only a headache is left for them to give away for free. The National People’s Power doesn’t know which way to go, their economic policies are a mismatch. They are playing on the difficulties of the people but they don’t give an answer about how they will get out of it,” he said.

In light of Saturday’s elections, the president also outlined his own agenda. “I want to make our economy export oriented. That will bring prosperity to the people. I’ve already brought in the economic transformation act in parliament. We have set benchmarks for the country to achieve. If we achieve those, we will become an export oriented economy. When we restructure it, we have to look at the areas in which we can take off, like modernising agriculture and renewable energy.”

He said he has also envisioned a “better educated and trained workforce to become part of supply chains and bring manufacturing to Sri Lanka”.
 

If there was an award for ‘Most Animated Coach of the Year’, Ashish Nehra would definitely be in the running.

For, much like football’s Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Nehra, currently the coach of Gujarat Titans, patrols the boundaries during IPL matches, constantly chatting and interacting with his players on cricket strategies.

It is a coaching style that is not too familiar to Indian cricket fans, but this is Nehra’s style. “That’s the way I am,” he says candidly over a virtual conversation, “If I am not operating the way I feel like, I should be in the movies. Because there are retakes there, but not in sport. As a coach, one should do whatever is best for the team.”

Nehra knows that, as does his Delhi teammate and friend, Gautam Gambhir, who was recently appointed as the coach of the Indian team. Gambhir, known as an aggressive coach, is currently on his first official assignment in Sri Lanka and Nehra wishes him well. “GG is very passionate, hardworking and never minces his words. With him, there will be transparency. Indian cricket has shown positive results in the last few years and under Gautam, that will only improve,” says Nehra, who is part of the commentary team in the ongoing India-Sri Lanka series.

‘CSK is special’

Ashish Nehra, a left-arm pacer with a gift to swing and seam the cricket ball, tasted success as an Indian fast bowler in the early 2000s. Later, once the IPL gained popularity, Nehra also had a memorable stint with the Chennai Super Kings, a phase he looks back with fondness. “It was a great franchise but they were also lucky that MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming stuck together for a long time. CSK is a special franchise even for youngsters, who learn a lot. Going forward, I don’t think we will see the same coach and captain for many years in a franchise.”

MS Dhoni, who has been associated with the Chennai franchise since its inception, is younger than Nehra, but that has not stopped the pacer from learning from him. “For me, the most important thing about MS (Dhoni) is that he has remained the same. No one wants to lose, but he has been the same with people, irrespective of results.”

At his prime, Nehra’s deliveries were considered hard to face but he himself had to face quite a bit of hardship; Nehra was injury-prone and had to reportedly undergo almost ten surgeries during his playing days. Prod him about that and he says, “Well, no one wants to get injured but yes, they happened to me. Experience teaches you how to handle these things. It also required a lot of mental strength to overcome those phases. I tell youngsters to take care of themselves, especially if they want to play the longer format of the game. For batting, wicketkeeping or spin bowling, fitness is key, but it becomes the all-important factor for a fast bowler. 80 percent of pace bowling is about how you handle your body. Whoever is fitter will play longer.”

India-Sri Lanka matches are streaming on the Sony Sports Network

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav during a practice session at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, in Pallekele, Thursday, July 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Newly-appointed Indian T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav says he has enjoyed being a leader on field despite not dawning the captain’s hat, adding that he leant the tricks of the trade from different skippers over the years.

Suryakumar was appointed as India’s T20 captain last week ahead of Hardik Pandya after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format.

Suryakumar’s first assignment will be the three-match T20 series against hosts Sri Lanka starting here on Saturday.

“I have always enjoyed being a leader on the field even though I was not the captain. I have always learnt a lot of things from different captains. It’s a good feeling and a great responsibility,” the swashbuckling middle-order batter told BCCI.TV.

Indian cricket is set to embark on a new era under Suryakumar and new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Both Suryakumar and Gambhir share a strong bond since Kolkata Knight Riders days as they played together in 2014 for the franchise.

And Suryakumar, known for his aggressive batting and innovative shots, described his relationship with Gambhir as both special and strong.

“This relationship is special because in 2014 I played under him in KKR. It was special because from there only I got opportunities. The relationship is still strong.

“He (Gambhir) knows how I work, what is my mindset when I come to practice sessions. I also know how he tries to work as a coach. It’s all about the lovely relationship we have and very excited to see how it goes forward,” the Mumbai batter said.

By his own admission, Suryakumar wants to remain humble and grounded while leading the side on the field as he looks at cricket just as a sport, not life.

“I think most important thing what I have learned from this sport is how humble you are after achieving or even after not doing well. I have learned when you do something on the ground you have to leave it on the ground,” he said.

“This is not your life, this is just a part of your life. So you can’t be when you are doing well you stay on the top and when you are not doing well, you are underground.

“That’s one thing which you shouldn’t do ever as a sportsman, that’s one thing which I have learned and that’s what helps me create balance in my life. If you are good person, everything happens good.”

EAM S. Jaishankar with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi on June 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will arrive in Colombo on June 20, in his official first visit to a neighbouring country since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s coalition government assumed charge in India earlier this month.

Watch: 3rd term for Modi -Will the coalition govt impact foreign policy?

Confirming his Indian counterpart’s visit, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told The Hindu on Tuesday that projects that India and Sri Lanka have agreed to jointly implement will be reviewed. “We will review progress in projects in various sectors such as renewable energy and connectivity, and look at ways to expedite them,” Mr. Sabry said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s possible visit to Sri Lanka this year will also be discussed, he said. In addition to holding talks with the Sri Lankan leadership, EAM Jaishankar will meet politicians across Sri Lankan political parties that are preparing for national elections scheduled this year.

Also read: Jaishankar signals ‘business as usual’ for foreign policy

On June 10, Mr. Jaishankar called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe who was in New Delhi for the swearing in ceremony of PM Modi. Following the meeting Mr. Wickremesinghe’s office said Mr. Jaishankar spoke on the “swift resumption of development projects initiated in Sri Lanka with Indian investments, which had been halted midway.” Further, Mr. Jaishankar highlighted plans for an industrial zone in the eastern district of Trincomalee to be established by the Indian government, which “will attract numerous Indian investors and potentially investors from other countries”, the statement said.

In a joint vision statement released during President Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi in in July 2023, the two countries noted that the ongoing cooperation in developing the Trincomalee oil tank farms was “a reflection of our endeavour to develop mutually beneficial cooperation projects”. Further, they agreed to develop Trincomalee as “a national and regional hub of industry, energy and economic activity”. India is partnering Sri Lanka in its push for renewable energy, through solar, LNG and wind power projects in the island nation’s north and east.

Also read: Adani wind power project sparks concern in Sri Lanka’s Mannar district

However, the  $ 442-million wind energy project of Adani Green has run into trouble, with at least two cases filed in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court recently, challenging it on grounds of environmental impact.