BIPIN DANI
Sri Lankan players participating in the ongoing IPL matches in India have expressed their gratitudes towards the world's other renowned sportsmen.
The 24-year-old all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has copied his wicket celebration from footballer Paris Saint-Germain FC superstar Neymar Jr.
"My favourite footballer is Neymar and that is his celebration which I do. When I go play, I don't take any pressure. That's why I feel I got success," Hasaranga said, grabbing four wickets of KKR team at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday.
His four-wicket haul not only got him the Player of the Match award but his team Royal Challengers Bangalore won by three wickets. The Sri-Lankan spinner imitated Neymar's celebration.
Earlier this week, another Sri Lankan top order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa had confirmed that he was motivated by Nepal's mountaineer Nirmal Purja.
Playing for the Punjab Kings XI team, Bhanuka said, "We had a theory. We wanted a movie called 14 peaks (about mountaineer Nirmal Purja who climbed the highest 14 mountains in the world within a year) to get motivated".
