‘Only Bhajji can get to my record’

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Retiring Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan said among the current crop of slow bowlers, only Harbhajan Singh could match his record of scalping nearly 800 Test wickets.

Muralitharan, who will quit the longer version after the first Test against India starting on July 18 at Galle, said the Indian off-spinner stood the best chance of emulating his feat.
“I think only Harbhajan can do this. I don’t know how old he is and how long he will continue. But he is the only one who can achieve this feat in Test cricket,” Muralitharan said from Colombo.
With 792 Test wickets under his belt from 132 matches, Muralitharan is philosophical about reaching the 800-mark.
“I don’t run after records. I have the world record in my name. Although if I could get eight more wickets, it will be a good way to end. I’m sure I will be able to do that in one match. If not, no worries,” he said.
In comparison, 30-year-old Harbhajan has 355 scalps from his 83 Test matches thus far.
With Twenty20 cricket taking precedence over other formats of the game, Muralitharan feared slow bowlers might struggle to survive and get to where he has reached.
“In the current scenario, Test cricket is dying. One-day cricket does not have a bright future. Only Twenty20 is going to survive. So it will be difficult for any slow bowler to survive so long,” he said.
Looking back at his illustrious career, he identified batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as his toughest opponents.
“If we talk about the consistency, then no other batman can match Sachin and Lara. They were the best against whom I have bowled.
“I had to put in extra effort against them. I am happy that I will bowl to Sachin in my last Test,” he said.
Besides being the most successful bowler in the history of international cricket, Muralitharan has been part of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning team but the off-spinner does have some regrets.
“I have achieved everything that an international cricketer can dream about. My only one regret that I could not win a (series) in India, South Africa and Australia. But one cannot get everything in life,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan is yet to make up his mind about the ODI World Cup to be held in sub-continent next year. “I have not given it a thought yet. I can not say that it is off my radar but I will think about this.
In contrast, he remains very clear that he plans to play in the IPL where he represents Chennai Super Kings, as long as possible.
“I want to continue playing in the IPL till the franchise needs me”. — PTI