Murli Spellbound the whole world!!!!

Murlitharan rewrote the history books when he took the seventh Indian wicket in Sharjah on Oct 27, 2000. He broke the record of taking maximum wickets in all one-day internationals, a feat beyond compare. It was a magical spell where none of the batsmen could read him as he totally mesmerized everybody. This is not the first time that Murlitharan has produced a match winning performance for Sri Lanka. There have been innumerable times that he has been brought on when the team has been in crisis and he has delivered the goods. He made his one-day International debut against India in 1993-94. It was only in 1995 that he got recognition though it was for all the wrong reasons. It was during the last of the Benson and Hedges series in Australia where Daryl hair the Australian umpire called him for a no ball and put a huge block in his career. The Sri Lankan team and the management was aghast at the decision as they did not think that Murli has an illegitimate action. But the Australian umpires would have none of it and Murli was not allowed to bowl. There was a huge hue and cry and his action was referred to ICC, which found his action absolutely fine. Even though he was cleared but what a battle he would have had to fight to get back into the right frame of mind. But this man is made of steel and he came back even stronger. Infact the whole controversy was like a blessing in disguise as the whole world sat and took notice of this amazing talent. And the fact remains that he has not looked back ever since. 

He is such a prodigious spinner of the cricket ball that he can even turn it on a desert. He has got such tremendous talent and it is no surprise that he has been amply rewarded. He as got 200 wickets in One day Internationals, which is a tremendous achievement. He is a match winner in his own right and has earned the respect of even the best batsmen in the World. His performance against India in Sharjah is just an indication of the amount of talent that this man has. He has suffered tremendous setbacks in his cricketing career but he has always emerged as a better player. The whole Sri Lankan team looks at him whenever in crisis and more often than not he gets them out of trouble. He is a true sportsman as he gives more than 100% on the field. His fielding is one of his strong points. Not only India but also a lot of teams have had a taste of his spin medicine and we can definitely hope for some more. He is a true magician.