The greatest cricketers of all time - No. 6

Continuing with our series on the greatest cricketers of all time, here’s No. 6 on our list.

No. 6 – Muttiah Muralitharan

You are pushed to the wall. You are demeaned. Your integrity is questioned. You are publicly flogged. You are branded a ‘chucker’, a ‘javelin thrower’ and a ‘shot-putter.’ You are made to swallow your pride. You are made to wear a brace. You are the subject of scrutiny; a lab rat; a test monkey. You are the subject of reams and reams of print. You are the centre of countless debates. You are, in short, turned into an object of ridicule and mockery. What do you do?

Well, if you are Muttiah Muralitharan, you take 800 test wickets. That’s what you do. Oh, and you also take 534 ODI wickets, just for the kicks. Along the way, you also get named ‘the greatest Test match bowler’ by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac.

Seldom has one man stirred up such polarizing opinions in the world of cricket. Seldom has one man been scrutinized so severely. And seldom has one man changed the game – the fundamental laws of the game, like Murali has.

My first memory of Murali is from the ’96 World Cup. I remember this lanky, clean-shaven fellow running up with a funny action and turning the ball square. Of course, being a young lad, Sanath and Kalu whacking the ball all around the park and often outside the park caught my fancy much more strongly, and it would be a long time before I came to realize Murali’s genius. It would take even longer to comprehend his brilliance; something that I don’t believe I have completely done till today.

As I grew older, I learnt to appreciate the finer nuances of the game better and in 2004, I heard of the arm brace experiment that was being carried out. Now, I was piqued. I read up on Murali and soon got to know of his history with allegations of chucking. As a neutral, I was enraged. Murali was someone that I admired greatly. He was a brilliant bowler – that much I knew. However, that was not what endeared Murali to me.

Every time you watch Murali bowl, you get to see something special. The run-up is angular. Not straight; not at right angles. Just before he starts the run-up, he tosses the ball up and catches it with his left hand. The jogging goes on. Meanwhile, the left arm goes all the way around, with the ball in it. The right hand then joins the left to shield the ball just before the ball is delivered. Come to think of it, the hands shroud the ball, almost. The symbolism is brilliant, in a way. The delivery is shrouded in mystery.

It’s not just the way he bowls, but the intensity with which he does. You see the easy, smooth run-up. After that, there is the effort; no grunts or groans but a visible effort manifested in the contorted facial expression, with the eyes swelling to the size of small eggs, and almost looking set to pop out. There is an eagerness to see where the ball has pitched – to see if it has pitched where he wanted it to; if the ball has done what he wanted it to. More often than not, both of those things did happen.

The best part of Murali, however, was what came after. The brilliant knowing smile – knowing that he had got the better of the batsman; knowing that he was, in a manner of speaking, too good for him. It was never an aggressive stare. It was always a knowing smile – the gentlemanly thing to do.

Ever the professional, Murali was and indeed continues to be precise in whatever he does. Looking at him playing in the IPL this year, one would be hard-pressed to accept that he is 40 years old. He still has the enthusiasm of a 25-year-old. He always wants to win; always wants to play; to throw himself around; and most of all, to have fun doing it.

There is a joy in watching Murali bowl but there is an even greater joy in watching Murali bat. I, for one, loved the way he threw his bat around and the way he tried to defend. He had a technique of his own and truly enjoyed batting.

The true mark of a sportsman is not how his teammates view him, but how his opponents do so. For Murali, it was not just his opponents, but the opposing fans as well who defined his greatness. I don’t think I have ever seen the Indian public try to will an Indian wicket to fall the way they did in Murali’s last Test. They wanted him to get that 800. That showed the esteem in which the man is held by people around the world.

I believe that most of Murali’s vociferous critics were just plain jealous. It’s one thing to baselessly accuse a bowler of throwing, but to do so even after he has been proven to be well within the limit, is just plain stupid. One of India’s greatest spinners (well, according to popular opinion, anyway) has been one of the people most keen to see Murali’s name smeared. But there’s an argument to be made that he is just a draconian old man who cannot come to grips with the fact that this lad is a better spinner; a much better spinner.

For all the turn, the batting, the controversy, the highs, the lows and all else in between, I will always remember Muttiah Muralitharan for one thing. It was this innocuous TV interview that he gave. I do not remember the channel, the anchor or indeed when it was broadcast. I don’t really remember anything else from that interview. I do, however, remember this. The interviewer asked Murali what the secret of his success was.

Murali smiled; that disarming smile. He said, ‘you do your best. The batsman will do the rest.’

It is something that has stayed with me all through the years, and will continue to stay with for the rest of my life.

Muttiah Mutalitharan. Legend.

And now, here’s a video clip that captures some of his most mesmerizing bowling and, more importantly, that smile. Take a look!

These are the other players who have made it so far:

No. 20 – Bill O’Reilly; No. 19 – Fred Trueman; No. 18 – Dennis Lillee; No. 17 – Sunil Gavaskar; No. 16 – Steve Waugh; No. 15 – Kapil Dev; No. 14 – Malcolm Marshall; No. 13 – Glenn McGrath; No. 12 – Imran Khan; No. 11 – Brian Lara; No. 10 – Jack Hobbs; No. 9 – Adam Gilchrist; No. 8 – Wasim Akram; No. 7 – Ricky Ponting

Read the detailed write-ups on all the players in this list here:

The greatest cricketers of all time