Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara yesterday dodged a question on whether he would enter politics in the future, saying that he would serve the country in his own style.

He made this observation after receiving the award for the Most Popular Sri Lankan 2016 at the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year awards ceremony.

Sangakkara was asked the question as to whether he will join politics to offer leadership to the country by veteran singer Sunil Perera.

In response, Sangakkara said that there were different avenues and career paths by which one can serve the nation and what he did was only play cricket. He will continue to serve the country in his own style, Sangakkara said. He avoided giving a definite "yes" or "no" as a response.

The former Sri Lankan captain was also awarded as the "Icon" or the Sri Lankan of the Year 2016.

The awardees were selected by a panel of jurists comprising of Deshamanya Radhika Coomaraswamy, science writer Nalaka Gunawardene, business icon Dian Gomes, Professor Carlo Fonseka, emeritus Professor of Sinhala, Desamanya J. B. Disanayaka, the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Vijitha Yapa Associates and former newspaper editor Vijitha Yapa, the 20th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, leading educator and women’s right advocate Jezima Ismail, and film maker Chandran Rutnam.