Sri Lankan players participating in the ongoing IPL matches in India have expressed their gratitude 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 the 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”.