Harbhajan Singh is the second highest wicket taker in tests amongst the off-spinners but he still trails Muralitharan by 443 wickets. Muralitharan has 22, 10 wickets haul which is more than the summation of the other 3 top wickets takers (Warne, Kumble and McGrath). But these mind boggling stats are mere numbers for this Champion off-spinner. For him it is only about getting the batsman out and helping his team win matches.
Anil Kumble reminds us of a military Colonel and Shane Warne still has that play boy image, but with Muralitharan there is nothing but the sportsman image which comes to the mind. Being humble is one thing but staying humble even after reaching the top is an entire different thing. For the fans and critics, if respect is synonymous with Kumble and charisma is synonymous with Warne, love is often associated with Muralitharan . There can never be a person who is loved so much by the opponents even after years of bamboozling. Comparing Muralitharan with any other Cricketer of this generation will be an aberration but for one.
The highest wicket taker in tests can only be compared with the highest run scorer in tests because of his humility. There are hardly any occasions where either Sachin or Muralitharan has lost their cool, both on and off the field. The humility factor and the philanthropic activities force me to mention these 2 names in the same sentence yet again. On the cricket field, the records and the pressure unite Sachin and Muralitharan. They have achieved something which no one else was able to achieve in the past 100 odd years. In terms of pressure, while Sachin has to play with the expectations of a billion people, the off-spinner from Kandy has always been under the scrutiny of the so called self-proclaimed experts. The amount of mental pressure and the emotional torture of the chucking allegations which he went through were unparalleled. A whole section of the hostile crowd shouting “no-ball” was unprecedented but the Maverick has come through all these struggles.
The advancements in science has only served as an irritating and pestering aspect for the Cricketers, but Muralitharan would be grateful for the biomechanics which helped to clear the doubts about his actions.
Dharmasena and Chandana played some test matches for Sri-Lanka but the whole of 90s saw Muralitharan being the lone warrior for the team. He would bowl almost 30-40 overs in a day and would continue to pick wickets for his captain. In the entire Sri-Lankan history Chaminda Vaas is the only other name that pops up when there is a discussion about bowlers. Such is the impact of the man, who has not only cleaned up the oppositions but also won the hearts of many around the world.
For someone who has followed Muralitharan over the years, the greatest change is his bowling is the way in which he has reduced the amount of spin in the recent past. He used to turn the ball big in the early days, but with experience he started to spin it small as well. The same delivery would spin more on some occasions and would spin less on certain others. The one which got Dhoni on the fourth day of his final test was the traditional off-spinners dream, which turned big.
This is the last time that the Czar of the isle will enter the Cricket field in whites and like many Cricket fans; I would also love to see Muralitharan reach those magical figures, because he deserves it. He is leaving behind a legacy called off-spin. Those big eyes may never be seen again and those big shoes may be empty from now on.
The Cricketing world will miss its most Magnanimous, loved and in fact it’s most analyzed son.
Bye-bye Magician, you will be missed.
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