Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner said that the current Indian head coach Rahul Dravid was unable to read his bowling during their days in international cricket. However, several Indian batters, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir, were able to perform well against him in the game.
Muttiah Muralitharan is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He played for Sri Lanka in 133 Test matches, 350 One Day Internationals, and 12 Twenty20 Internationals during his illustrious two-decade-long career. He posed a tough challenge to even the top-quality batters with his lethal bowling skills across all formats.
During the trailer launch of his biopic titled 800, Muthiah Muralitharan opened up about his experience playing against some of the best batters in the world such as Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Rahul Dravid. He revealed that even some of his teammates struggled to read his bowling during his playing days at the highest level.
“He Sachin Tendulkar read me very well. Not many people can do (that). (Brian) Lara had success but he never hit me also, I know a few people, like Rahul Dravid, who is one of the greatest players but he never read me. Sachin and (Virender Sehwag) and (Gautam) Gambhir would read. Even in my team some people read and some did not,” Muthiah Muralitharan said.
The Sri Lankan legend retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup final. He was the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka with 15 wickets in the marquee event. Currently, he is part of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s support staff in the Indian Premier League.
I Remember Meeting Him For The First Time In 1992-93 – Muthiah Muralitharn
Muthiah Muralitharan shared his memories of meeting the legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the early 1990s. He praised Tendulkar’s immense contribution to the game and believed that it was impossible for anyone to achieve the level of success in international cricket that Tendulkar did during his lifetime.
“I remember meeting him for the first time in 1992-93, and we have continued to be good friends. What he (Sachin) has done in cricket, nobody can do. It is a fact. It is impossible for someone to get into First-Class cricket at 15 years, getting a Test hundred at 16-17 years (of age). Another Sachin Tendulkar won’t be born in my life (time),” Muthiah Muralitharan added.
Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time in international cricket. He holds the record for the most number of centuries in international cricket with a total of 100, making him the only cricketer to achieve this remarkable feat.
Besides, he scored 51 centuries in Test cricket and 49 centuries in One-day Internationals (ODIs), having played over 600 international games.