In the endlessly entertaining and absorbing soap opera that is India-Sri Lanka relations, wait for the next episode, Aditi Phadnis reports.
From Sri Lanka's most popular political family to its most despised -- going by the voices on the streets calling for the Rajapaksas' ouster -- what went wrong for the clan? Veteran Sri Lanka watcher N Sathiya Moorthy offers an insight.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in Beijing on Monday on a 4-day state visit, his sixth, with Colombo saying that its ties with Beijing were not an "exclusive one" and would not harm interests of others.
'Putting tanks on the Ladakh border is not enough to combat China, what is needed to ensure resilience against any cyber-attacks or attacks in outer space or China flexing its economic muscle, as it did with Australia.'
Sri Lanka have rested left-arm spinner Rangana Herath from the first two One-day internationals against Bangladesh to be played at Hambantota on March 23 and 25.
New Delhi is approaching Gota with an open mind, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The protests brought home the fact that the Sri Lankan public is in no mood for halfway measures, as voices against Rajapaksa 'family rule' and 'securitisation' of the civilian administration began sidestepping the more critical economic crisis, affecting the nation and afflicting the individual, observes Sri Lanka watcher N Sathiya Moorthy.
Virat Kohli cracked his third consecutive century against Sri Lanka to lead India to a comfortable 21-run win in the first One-day international on Saturday.
Leg-spinner spinner Rahul Sharma, who tested positive for recreational drugs after being caught at a rave party, was on Saturday left out of the Indian cricket team for the first One-dayer against Sri Lanka at Hambantota.
Indian spinner Rahul Sharma's participation in the ODI series against Sri Lanka was, on Friday, thrown into jeopardy after he tested positive for consumption of drugs in a rave party in Mumbai in May, making his arrest inevitable.
The Pakistan under-19 side, captained by Rohail Nazir, was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on April 30 to play two four-day matches, followed by three one-dayers.
Gota has to decide if he could order elder brother Mahinda's arrest as the agent provocateur of Monday's violence. Then he has to prepare for an interim government, in which no one would now want to become a cabinet minister leave alone prime minister, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Two Indian nationals were among a group of 53 people bound for Australia arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, the police said on Wednesday.
# Jean-Paul Duminy has recorded 27 sixes, eclipsing Graeme Smith's tally of 26. Only Albie Morkel has more sixes (33) than Duminy for South Africa in T20s.
Heavy rain delayed the start of South Africa-Sri Lanka World Twenty20 match at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota, on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's new spin bowling hope Akila Dananjaya already feels so at home in the setup he has commandeered a senior teammate as a chauffeur.
Pawan Shah smashed 282, the second highest individual score in U-19 internationals, along with six consecutive boundaries in an over
Opener Gautam Gambhir on Friday said that it would not be fair to suggest that India had taken Sri Lanka "lightly" in the second ODI, which the visitors lost comprehensively by nine wickets in Hambantota.
Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed the unpredictable pitch for his team's abysmal batting performance in the lost second ODI against Sri Lanka, rejecting suggestions that rash shots led to the stunning collapse.
Atharwa Taide (113) and Ayush Badoni (107) slammed individual centuries to put India U-19 team in driver's seat on the second day of the four-day first Youth Test at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
Already assured of their places in the Super Eight stage of the ICC World Twenty20, both Sri Lanka and South Africa would be eyeing a win to top their pool when they play against each other in the marquee Group C clash in Hambantota on Saturday.
Determined to remove their big tournament chokers tag, South Africa captain A B de Villiers said his side is well prepared to play in any condition in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 in Hambantota.
South Africa produced a clinical performance to knock Zimbabwe out of the ICC World Twenty20 with a comfortable 10-wicket victory in a lop-sided Group C match Hambantota on Thursday.
Ajantha Mendis' figures of six for eight are the best in the history of the Twenty20 Internationals, eclipsing his own figures of 6 for 16 against Australia at Pallekele on August 8, 2011.
Ajantha Mendis bettered his own T20 record by taking six wickets for just eight runs as Sri Lanka walloped minnows Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the opening match of the World Twenty20 tournament in Hambantota on Tuesday.
Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis registered the best figures in World Twenty20 with a magical-haul of six wickets for eight runs to help Sri Lanka crush Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the tournament opener.
Sri Lanka, beaten in three ICC limited overs finals since triumphing in the 1996 World Cup and 2002 Champions Trophy they hosted, hope being back on home soil will help them avoid the chokers tag in the World Twenty20 starting on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka have included seam bowler Lasith Malinga in their T20 and one day international squads for the home series against Pakistan starting next month.
Irfan Pathan claimed five wickets and contributed valuable 29 runs as India managed a 20-run win over Sri Lanka in the dead fifth rubber to complete a 4-1 series drubbing in Pallekele on Saturday.
Cash-starved Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India, showing their interest to hold some Indian Premier League matches in the island country to raise some additional revenue.
The Indian cricket team will aim to pick up the pieces after a disastrous performance in the last match and get their campaign back on track when they take on hosts Sri Lanka in the third ODI to be held in Colombo on Saturday.
Sri Lanka exacted a sweet revenge on India with a crushing nine-wicket victory in the second One-day International at Hambantota on Tuesday, to draw the series level at 1-1.
Having commenced the new season with a comfortable victory in the first ODI, favourites India will be aiming to keep up the momentum when they take on hosts Sri Lanka in the second cricket ODI in Hambantota.
Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara will miss the rest of the five-match One-day international series against India after injuring his groin in Saturday's opener.
A rejuvinated India would look for a winning start to the new season but the task would be easier said than done against a strong Sri Lanka as the two sides clash in a five-match ODI series starting in Hambantota on Saturday.
There's a lot at stake in India's one-day series against Sri Lanka beginning July 21 as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have the chance to regain the number one spot if they clean-sweeps the five-match rubber.
Baroda all-rounder Irfan Pathan will replace Karnataka fast bowler R Vinay Kumar in India's squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.
The fixture of India's limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka starting next month has been revised with the first One-Day International advanced by a day to include a reserve day in case of weather interruptions.
Polls opened at 7 am local time and would close at 5 pm with some 12,845 polling stations being set up throughout the country for 15.9 million voters, who will choose a successor to President Maithripala Sirisina.
Keen to re-establish their reputation dented by the spot-fixing scandal, unpredictable Pakistan will look to launch their cricket World Cup campaign on a rousing note when they take on minnows in Hambantota on Wednesday.
