Muttiah Muralitharan: In a league of his own

Sri Lankan spin-bowling great Muttiah Muralitharan talks at length about the future of Test cricket, why Bazball needs to adapt better, the fast-bowling evolution in India, and more.

One of a kind: Muttiah Muralitharan, an unparallelled match-winner, was conferred with Sportstar’s first-ever International Icon Award at the Sportstar Aces Awards function in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

The interview is taking place on the 15th floor of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, with the sun setting behind the historic arch of the Gateway of India, casting a pinkish hue over the entire presidential suite.

With a smile, Muttiah Muralitharan puts his phone on silent mode and adjusts his navy-blue checkered blazer. Having travelled from Colombo to receive the first-ever International Icon Award at the Sportstar Aces Awards for his remarkable contribution to world cricket, the Sri Lankan spin legend doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that ‘Test cricket is dying’.

As the conversation unfolds, he expresses the difficulty future players may face in aspiring to play 100 Tests.

Since he retired from all forms of the game in 2010, as the highest wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, Muralitharan has immersed himself in his family business and taken on brief coaching stints. Despite his current focus on balance sheets and consignments, he remains a dedicated follower of the game.

“Tell me what you want to know,” he says with a broad smile. And we get going...

In recent years, there have been debates over the evolving nature of pitches in the subcontinent. What is your assessment of this issue?

The wickets have not changed. It’s very difficult to bowl in the subcontinent, as the surfaces often favour the spinners more than the fast bowlers. However, if you are a good fast bowler, you get a chance to reverse swing as the ball gets older. But it is a challenge, for sure.

In the 1990s, when I played, India had some really good spinners, so they would make spin-friendly wickets here. But in other parts of the world, especially in Pakistan, surfaces would be very flat, whereas in Sri Lanka, it would be a 50-50 wicket that offered equal opportunities to batters and spinners.

A day to remember: Muralitharan walks back with applause from teammates and the crowd after his then record performance of seven wickets against India in Sharjah. | Photo Credit: N. Sridharan / Sportstar

So, a lot depends on the teams and what their areas of strength are. Nowadays, when India goes to England, you will get wickets that will swing and seam, whereas when they tour India, the wickets will be according to India’s suitability. So, it certainly gets difficult for the teams to adjust to the conditions and go about their business.

England has changed the template of Test cricket with ‘Bazball’. What do you make of this new style of play?

I think it’s social media and a few people who have made a big deal out of ‘Bazball’. For me, it’s not a big thing. Test cricket is about five days; the wickets are different, so there’s quite a bit of wear and tear, and teams need to bat according to the situation initially.

As the wicket is fresh, it offers swing and seam to the bowlers, and for the first three days, teams can bat well, and on the fourth and fifth days, the spinners come into play — that’s how the game has been played traditionally.

Much before this concept of ‘Bazball’ came into existence, Australia was the powerhouse (of such ideas). They tried to score quickly in the first innings and put up 390-400 runs on the board in the 90 overs.

August company: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami greets Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan during the Sportstar Aces Awards function held in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: K. R. Deepak

Then, Australia had a strong batting line-up, and they had some top players who could execute these plans. Now, England may display its aggressive style of play at home since the grounds are small, the surfaces are flat, and the outfields are very fast. Hence, it is possible to play aggressively. But when they come to India or visit other countries, they have to play a different brand of cricket.

‘Bazball’ does not succeed everywhere. Only when wickets are flat, the outfield is quick, and conditions are in your favour can that concept work, but not always.

In your playing days, India was a powerhouse of spin bowling, with the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh around. But over the last few years, a strong pace battery has emerged, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami leading the pack. How do you see this shift?

In the 1990s, India had a very big spin force, but in the early 2000s, people like Zaheer (Khan) came into the team, and eventually, there were players like Shami, who developed the fast-bowling unit. Bumrah made a huge difference because he is so different from the rest, and he is just like our (Lasith) Malinga in Sri Lanka.

His presence has benefitted the team, and when you have a player like that, the youngsters want to be like him. A lot of people work hard and put in the effort to become fast bowlers. That’s why, in India now, a lot of fast bowlers are coming in rather than spinners.

When Anil or Harbhajan was around, a lot of young spinners were following them, but now they are following the likes of Bumrah.

Do you feel Test cricket is more competitive these days?

Test cricket has changed over the last two decades because of T20s. The batters who play aggressively tend to do that in Test cricket. That’s why they score quickly and get out quickly. I feel that’s one of the reasons why you find results now.

Back in our time, there was a theory that the openers would have to take the shine off the new ball, and then take about 30 to 40 overs to score 40-odd runs. They took time, and there were instances of teams scoring just 160 or 170 and losing five wickets despite batting for the entire day. So, the next day, the teams would come back and re-strategise.

Above the rest: Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (3rd R) shows the ball after he took his 800th wicket during the fifth day of their first Test against India in Galle July 22, 2010. He remains the highest wicket-taker in the format till date. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The pitches are now also prepared for results. Those days, there were very good five-day wickets, and whichever team was good enough would win. That has changed, and that’s why now it looks as if Test cricket is more competitive since matches finish early and we have results.

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But in my opinion, Test cricket is dying. It’s not because of the players who ultimately want to play the game but because of viewership. With the rise of T20s, viewership has gone down so much for other formats. I fear that maybe in another three decades, there won’t be any Test cricket, and there will only be T20s and T10s. Test cricket has survived for more than 100 years; now the question is: can it survive for another 100 years? We don’t know.

Is there an overdose of cricket that’s affecting the viewership?

Yeah, definitely. Too much cricket also puts off the spectators. For instance, if too many films are released every other day, people won’t see them. Whereas, if one good film is released every three or four months, there will still be some sort of interest among the audience. Similarly, in cricket, when you have matches every day, people often tend to get bored. Only if you can space out the matches well can you promote the game better.

Claiming 800 Test wickets is unbelievable in today’s time. Do you think your record can be broken?

The records are meant to be broken. But I think if someone breaks this record, it will be the highest ever (and is sure to remain unbroken forever). Test cricket is not going to last for long. If you want to take 800 wickets in the format, you need to play at least 150 Tests. I was lucky enough to achieve the feat in 133 outings; hence, in the current scenario, it would be very difficult for players to feature in 150 Tests. Even featuring in 100 Tests will be tough going forward.

Players of this generation — Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, or R. Ashwin — have been able to feature in more than 100 outings, but for the next generation, there will be a huge question mark on whether they will be able to even come close to that.

Legend of the game: Muttiah Muralitharan turned the fortunes of Sri Lankan cricket around with his guile and an insatiable appetite for wickets. | Photo Credit: AP

In 1996, Sri Lanka changed the dynamics of ODI cricket under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga…

Back then, there were a few rule changes in terms of the PowerPlay, and I think much before (Sanath) Jayasuriya and Kalu (Romesh Kaluwitharana) dominated the scene, New Zealand upped its ante during the 1992 World Cup with some power-hitting by Dipak Patel and Mark Greatbatch.

In the 1996 World Cup, Arjuna got in young people and wanted to experiment with a few things. His idea was simple: he told the batters to go out and play aggressively. It was okay; if they lost their wicket, there were others to back them up. That changed the dimensions of PowerPlay.

Nowadays, if you do something different, people like it, and we must enjoy whatever they call it (laughs).

Is there any current captain who reminds you of a Ranatunga?

There are very good captains, but you also need to see whether they are doing what Arjuna did for me in those turbulent times [between 1995 and 1999, as Muralitharan’s ‘chucking’ row boiled, Ranatunga backed the then-young spinner]. But there are a lot of aggressive captains today. Virat Kohli was a very aggressive captain on the field. He always wanted results.

A friend in need: Muttiah Muralitharan said that he the former Sri Lanka captain beside him during turbulent times and that is something he remembers clearly. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

Over the last few years, the Sri Lankan team seems to be struggling. According to you, where does the team go from here?

Sri Lanka cricket, I think, is in good hands because there are competitions; we have an IPL-like tournament, the Premier League. So, the encouragement is there.

Even the schools play cricket regularly and produce talent. It depends on the individuals playing the game. Those representing Sri Lanka in international cricket should put in a little more effort. Nowadays, it looks like that is not there. You can’t complain as there are all the facilities available and there are good coaches. So, we need to see where we are going wrong.

Your thoughts on being conferred the International Icon and if could tell us who inspired you to pursue cricket?

I am the first one to be conferred with Sportstar’s International Icon award and I feel lucky. My sincere gratitude to Sportstar, The Hindu Group and the jury comprising legends.

In my school days, I was in a hostel and cricket was something that everyone loved because our neighbouring country, India, was already a powerhouse in the game and we would follow them. Back then, we only wanted to watch the Indian cricketers. The first time I went to watch a match was in 1985 when the legends Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev featured in a Test against Sri Lanka at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.

It was inspiring to watch them on the field, because back in those days, there was no television.

As our island nation went into huge problems around that time, sports was one thing that gave joy to all youngsters, and it made us forget other things. That inspired me to take up sport and that is why I am here now.