Muttiah Muralitharan is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers to have graced the game. The ace off-spinner has a tally of 735 wickets from 120 Test matches and is galloping towards the magical 1,000-wicket mark. Many believe he is the only one capable of attaining that milestone.
At 36, he is not getting any younger, but his bowling seems to be improving with every outing. Next in his path is the famed Indian batting line-up, in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka, starting July 23.
Muralitharan believes that though India will start as favourites, the Sri Lankans are confident they can repeat their Test series triumph of 2001.
Special Correspondent Harish Kotian caught up with him in Mumbai to discuss the forthcoming Test series.
India have done well away from home in the last few years. Can we say that they start as favourites in the upcoming series?
Definitely, they have to start as favourites, because they have done well in Australia. They also performed in a few series before that, like in South Africa; so they will start as favourites. I would like them to start as favourites, because we have to come back and beat them.
With India boasting a batting line-up comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, how difficult a task is it going to be for the Sri Lankan bowlers in the Test matches?
Any batting line-up can crumble any moment. I hope you remember that when you [India] played against South Africa [at Ahmedabad] you were bowled out for 85. You had all these batsmen, except Sachin. So that can happen on the day and depends on how well the opposition bowls and how much pressure the batsmen can take. Records and numbers are all past; the future is all about how you perform.
Sachin Tendulkar is 171 runs behind Brian Lara's world record for most Test runs. How do you plan to stop him from getting to that mark?
Everyone knows Sachin is a great player, a legend of cricket. But getting those 171 runs won't be easy, because we will also try to stop him. But he is also a great player and he will, at some time, cross it. That record won't be on his mind because he will try to play and win for India.
In the same way, I will try and bowl well, and take wickets for Sri Lanka and try to win. At the end of the day, records will come and players will cherish those records. I think he deserves to get the record. It is only 170 and it is not much in six innings, because he is averaging about 58 in Test cricket. So, hopefully, he will break Lara's record in Sri Lanka; otherwise, he can do it against Australia [at home].
Will there be any extra determination by Sri Lanka's bowlers to stop Tendulkar from getting the record?
No, there is nothing like that. As cricketers, we try and play well for our country. As far as we are concerned, we try to take wickets; so we will try and stop him all the way. But he is a good enough batsman and will definitely get the record. What will happen on a particular day I cannot predict.
The series will also be a face-off between you and Anil Kumble. How do you look at it?
I don't think there is any rivalry or anything between us. Anil is a great bowler; I admire him so much. He is a good friend of mine too. He does well every time he gets the ball. Like that, I also have my days. I have done well in the past. Hopefully, I can do well [in this series too], but there is no contest at all between us.
Having played in the Indian Premier League, do you believe that the emergence of Twenty20 will hamper the growth of young spinners worldwide?
I don't think so, because more players are getting encouraged [to play]. That way they get a chance to study other people's art. That's the way it has always been in cricket.
With Twenty20 getting popular, should Test and ODI cricket also come up with innovations?
I don't think so. The beauty is Test cricket. The players, if you ask any of them, want to play Test cricket first and then one-dayers and Twenty20.
