The legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan praised the two Indian wrist spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Both spinners have put a significant impact on the Indian national cricket team for more than one year. Recently, they have combined picked up 100+ wickets in ODI format. Even, outside the Asian soil, the duo has shown their dominance.
Praising both the spinners, the former Sri Lankan off-spinner recently said,“You have got two good wrist spinners in India right now and the Indian selectors are also confident of their ability based on their impressive performance. There are hardly any wrist spinners in other countries. The other countries can’t copy India.”
However, the former off-spinner is unsure about the spinners’ effectiveness during the upcoming World Cup. While England and Wales are going to host the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup from 30 May to 14 July, Muttiah Muralitharan’s experiences claim that the condition will favour for the swing bowlers.
He added, “But how good Kuldeep and Chahal will be at the World Cup, will depend on the conditions. England pitches in June and July usually assists swing bowling.”
Rashid Khan was a champion bowler even before I met him
The former Sri Lankan off-spinner also lauded the young Afghanistan leg-spinner, Rashid Khan. Since his international debut, Rashid Khan has shown his consistency with the ball in hand. Currently, he is the No.2 ranked ODI bowler and No. 1 ranked T20I bowler.
While Rashid Khan plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Muttiah Muralitharan is the bowling coach of this IPL side. However, the Sri Lankan legend claimed that he gave him just a few tips while he was already a champion bowler.
Muttiah Muralitharan said, “I didn’t mentor Rashid Khan. He is a different kind of bowler. He is quick and that’s why it’s easy to deceive batsmen in the shorter formats.
“It’s hard to replicate that in the longer format. I do give him a few tips. We hardly get any time to interact in the nets during IPL because of the schedule. He will know what is the best for him and he was a champion bowler even before I met him. So he knows how to perform.”
England’s recent ODI performances have impressed to Muttiah Muralitharan. However, the 46-year-old feels disappointed with Australia’s recent performances.
He added, “England is doing really well in ODIs. Australia has become weak and is no longer the team it once was.”
Muttiah Muralitharan feels disheartened with the decline of the Sri Lankan cricket. Their recent performances have worried him hugely.
The former Sri Lankan off-spinner said, “I have not been associated with Sri Lankan cricket ever since I retired. The decline of Sri Lankan cricket saddens me. For a team that had reached the World Cup final three times and has a proud cricketing culture, it is a worrying sign.”
Talking about the reason for the present slump, Muttiah Muralitharan points out that the nation has failed to produce enough talent in recent times.
He said, “Sri Lanka of late hasn’t produced enough talent. In the last three to four years, the talent is lacking. Even when the talent is spotted, they don’t know how to play. Coaches don’t make cricketers. Coaches can only tell you the basics. It then boils down to the effort of an individual and his desire to succeed.”
Sri Lanka was the winner of 1996 Cricket World Cup. Apart from that, they were also runners-up in 2007 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka will begin their 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup journey on 1 June when they will play against New Zealand at Cardiff. Currently, Sri Lanka is standing in the eighth position in the ICC ODI ranking.