Indian batting stalwart Virender Sehwag has revealed it was Muttiah Muralitharan out of all, who troubled him the most in his playing career. Displaying utter domination against the best of the bowlers during his time, Sehwag seemed a bit uneasy when it came down to face the Sri Lankan bowling legend.
Speaking at Hindustan Times Palate Fest in Delhi, the swashbuckling batsman said he found Murali difficult to pick, with both of his off-spinners and the famous doosra.
“It was difficult playing him, both due to his bowling action and his length.”
With 800 scalps in Tests, Murali is unarguably the greatest bowler to have graced the game. Both of these cricketing greats came up against each other on more than handful of times, where the offie got the better of the opener on three occasions.
Talking about the face-to-face battles between them, the 2008 Galle Test is remembered the most. Batting first, India kept on losing wickets but it was Virender Sehwag, who took Ajanta Mendis and Muralitharan for a ride. He scored a brilliant double hundred and also remained unbeaten.
A more dominating show against the off-spinner came an year later at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, where Sehwag was at his ferocious best, dismantling the bowlers, especially Murali all over the park. He scored a towering 293 in the first innings, after putting up 284 on a single day but eventually fell to Muttiah on 293.