Exclusive Video: Told President To Resign, Not Leave Lanka - Sanath Jayasuriya To NDTV

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, who is among the fiercest critics of the island nation's regime, in an exclusive interview to NDTV said the blame for the protests after July 9 squarely rests on Ranil Wickremesinghe and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who remained glued to their seats as Prime Minister and President, respectively, amid the unprecedented economic crisis and despite calls for their resignation from the initial stages of the protest. "They said that they will resign, but they did not keep their promise. People had no confidence in them," Mr Jayasuriya said. "The people from the start have been demanding for the President to resign. But he left the country without resigning and gave power to the Prime Minister for the time being. So the people will not trust them anymore," he said. "It's an individual position. The people never told him to leave to country. He was only asked to resign. It is his own decision to leave the country," Mr Jayasuriya said.