Presidents of Lanka, India to grace final
Buoyant by the success of the much-hyped ‘cricket diplomacy’ at the high voltage World Cup semifinals in Mohali, where the premiers of India and Pakistan were present, the presidents of India and Sri Lanka will together witness the final match at the Wakhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Pratibha Patil and Mahinda Rajapaksa will be flying to Mumbai on April 2 to watch the high-profile encounter between India and Sri Lanka.
Patil and Rajapaksa will be introduced to Indian and Lankan players in Mumbai. Patil may host dinner for her Lankan counterpart at the Mumbai Raj Bhavan. Rashtrapati Bhawan sources said the President has been following the World Cup matches and also watched the India-Pakistan semifinal.
Reports from Colombo said that Rajapaksa will fly to Mumbai for the India-Sri Lanka tie. “The President wants us to win the World Cup as a tribute to Muttiah Muralitharan who is retiring,” Rajapaksa's spokesman Bandula Jayasekera told reporters.
