Murali’s figures speak of a legacy

The first Test at Galle was forgettable in many ways for India, but it was a perfect script as far as Muttiah Muralitharan was concerned. He had to struggle a bit for his last wicket but when it came through, it capped off a perfect Test for Sri Lanka. They won the toss, got the runs on the board, the tail wagged with an important contribution and they finished the game strongly. Crucially, on a pitch like this, they had decisive partnerships. With the bat there was the 181-run Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara stand and with the ball there was Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga. On both counts, India fell short and they paid the price. Understandably, the Test was a lot about Murali. What he has achieved is not merely a stupendous individual feat, but also means a lot to Sri Lanka. Murali put them on the cricketing map, taking perhaps 50 pc of their wickets in the last decade. There are some amazing figures around - 22 10-wicket hauls, 67 five-wicket hauls, 800 wickets overall, and when you consider that the next in the list among active cricketers is Harbhajan Singh with 355 scalps, you understand the legacy Murali leaves behind. All this was only possible through his love for bowling and his sheer passion for long spells, whether in practice or out in the middle. For the best part of his career he knew that he was the one who had to take the wickets.