Wily Muralitharan weaves a dream spell

By S. Dinakar

COLOMBO, AUG. 29. Those big, bold eyes, bristling with life, joy, hope. The eyes of Muttiah Muralitharan, the off-spin wizard who takes us to the very soul of sport - Enjoyment.

He enjoys every moment of his on the cricket field, even if he has to send down 34.1 overs on-the-trot, even in the cauldron of the deciding match of a Test series. A smiling assassin, the utterly `original' Murali certainly is.

Muralitharan's eight for 87 at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, here on Wednesday, gave Sri Lanka a distinct advantage as India, coasting at 97 for no loss at one stage, lost its way rather hopelessly, to be bowled out for 234.

At the end of a dramatic first day of the third and final Test, the home team was 13 without loss, skipper Sanath Jayasuriya and his opening partner Marvan Atapattu, batting on 10 and two respectively.

It was a marathon spell where Muralitharan's astonishing bag of tricks left the Indians bamboozled. The tantalising flight, the vicious off-break, the one going through straight, the one curling away - brush strokes of a genius on a bowling canvas.

When the batsmen went after him, he seemed to relish the challenge even more. The off-spinner with the heart of a champion won more than one `duel within a duel' on this day.

Later, the genial Lankan said he `enjoyed' the eight- wicket haul because the Indians were ``great players of spin,'' and rated the performance only next to his nine-wicket innings haul against England at the Oval in 1998. He revealed he had prevailed upon Jayasuriya to keep him on when the Lankan captain wanted to give him a short break, and said Dravid's wicket was crucial since he was a `class player.'

He may have been a touch lucky to win a leg-before appeal against Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain coming down the wicket, offering his pads to a delivery that straightened, and seeing umpire David Orchard's finger go up, but that shouldn't take anything away from Muralitharan's sensational effort.

For India, openers Shiv Sundar Das (59, 111b, 10x4) and Sadagopan Ramesh (46, 115b, 4x4), provided a wonderful start, raising 97 runs in 33.4 overs, but the Indian slump began really with the crude heave by Das at Muralitharan, who is much too clever for such methods to work against him.

Indeed, it all started so differently for India. On a pitch expected to assist spinners, Ganguly did not hesitate to bat after calling right. The inclusion of a second spinner in leggie Sairaj Bahutule, who came in for paceman Harvinder Singh, reflected the Indian line of thinking.

The Lankan attack wore a new look too with Dulip Liyanage replacing Ruchira Perera and debutant off-spinning all- rounder Thilan Samaraweera taking the place of Suresh Perera.

There was an element of bounce in the wicket early on but Das and Ramesh handled the situation well with the diminutive Orissa batsman impressing in particular.

In the first two Tests, Das had looked like a young batsman playing more out of memory. At the SSC today, he shook off the self-doubts, taking the pacemen on without ever appearing chancy in his methods - with Jayasuriya having attacking fields there were huge gaps, and Das was quick to cash in on the opportunity.

At the other end, Ramesh was solid. This has been a tour where Ramesh has looked his part as a Test match opener even if he hasn't gone on to a big score. He is more sure about his off- stump, and there has been a marked improvement in his footwork.

Ramesh is particularly strong off his legs and when Vaas and Liyanage erred in line, he was quick to despatch them to the square-leg fence.

Das punched an off-colour Dilhara Fernando through the covers off the back-foot airborne even as he completed the stroke, and then launched into Chaminda Vaas, pulling him past the ropes and then smacking him to the cover fence. And when Muralitharan was introduced from the Tennis Court end, the little opener jumped down the track to blast him past mid-on. This was a very different Das. He duly completed his half century (89b, 10x4) and India went to lunch on a very confident note at 91 for no loss in 30 overs. Then things began to go wrong.

Just when Das had everything going for him, he suffered an inexplicable rush of blood and Muralitharan was well on his way. The canny off-spinner then consumed Ramesh with a beautifully flighted delivery, that drew the left-hander into a drive, spun enough to kiss the outside edge for Jayawardene to hold a sharp catch at slip.

Ganguly joined Dravid in the middle, and this was a crucial phase of the innings. Two deliveries before Ganguly perished, Muralitharan had tossed the ball up, and the left- hander taking up the challenge had danced down. The battle was on.

And Ganguly's initial instinct when Murali flighted again was to attack, but the off-spinner straightened one and the batsman could only offer his pads after charging down. It was clever bowling, but perhaps the Indian deserved the benefit of doubt since the ball had quite some distance to travel.

Mohammed Kaif promised for a brief while, but did his cause no good by chasing a wide one from Chaminda Vaas - this was the gallant left-arm seamer's 150 Test wicket - and nicking it to wicket-keeper Kumara Sangakkara. The Indian expressed surprise over the decision, but Asoka de Silva had got it right.

Meanwhile the classy Dravid was collecting his runs calmly, and he was the dangerman from the Lankan point of view. At the other end, Hemang Badani seemed determined to hit his way out of troubled times, cover-driving and square-cutting Fernando for boundaries besides rocking back and cutting Muralitharan to the point fence.

Dravid (36, 85b, 4x4) was poised for bigger things when Muralitharan, switching to a deliberate middle-and-leg line, got the Indian on the flick, Tillekeratne picking up the catch at backward short-leg. Dravid and Badani had added 46 for the fifth wicket and the India was 192 for five at this point. Dighe was soon foxed by an arm ball from Muralitharan and this left the Indian lower-order exposed.

The total was 207 when the left-handed Badani, after stroking his way to an elegant 38 (56b, 7x4), was tempted into his doom by Muralitharan, the out-side-edged drive pocketed by Tillekeratne at slip.

Harbhajan Singh was adjudged leg-before to Vaas, with the delivery nipping back a shade, and Zaheer had no clue about a Muralitharan delivery that appeared to flick his glove before ballooning to Jayawardene at slip.

Sairaj Bahutule essayed a few brave shots, but he was too slow to get back after being beaten in the air by the ace offie. The third umpire pressed the red button, a delighted Muralitharan had scalped eight, and India had lost the initiative after batting first.

From here on it could be a rough journey for the Indians.

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