Murali’s final Test - http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 vs India preview
As Sri Lanka look to give cricket’s most prolific wicket taker http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 will be looking to spoil the celebrations.
There are plenty of reasons, however, to believe the 38-year-old will get the chance to enjoy the spoils of Test victory one last time if India’s performance in the warm-up between the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI and the Indians at Colombo is anything to judge by.
Admittedly, passing judgement on the world’s No. 1-ranked Test side is a potentially risky business but it did provide an indication of just how India’s bowling attack might cope in the real thing without the presence of injured pace duo http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shanthakumaran-Sreesanth-c89725 and Zaheer Khan among their number.
While spinner Pragyan Ojha –looking to push his case for inclusion in the India Test XI, either as the primary spinner or a second spinning option, depending on whether Harbhajan Singh has overcome a bacterial infection – took eight wickets for the match (5-153 in the first innings and 3-85 in the second), his pace counterparts struggled to have the same impact.
Meanwhile, Muralitharan’s likely spin successor, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis, took a six-wicket haul which included Gautham Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman as India were bowled out for 291 their only innings in what was ultimately a drawn match.
It’s not going to get any easier for India when they move on to Galle to play the first of the three-Test series against their sub-continent rivals, as the spotlight shines on Murali and the 792 Test wickets he’s already taken in a distinguished, if sometimes controversial (thanks to his bent-arm bowling action), career.
"I have achieved what I wanted to achieve. There is nothing left or any target to reach," Muralitharan told the press as he announced his retirement. Understandable sentiments from Test and ODI cricket’s leading wicket taker, but eight more scalps in this match would secure him the personal milestone of becoming the first player in Test history to reach the 800-wicket mark.
There won’t be anyone at the ground who is unaware of that countdown, but there will be 21 other players looking to make their mark on this match too; 11 of whom will be intent on putting a dampener on celebrations.
Whether an undermanned India can do so against a Sri Lanka side who have sought to give their bowling attack more bite with the addition of Dilhara Fernando and Lasith Malinga to the Test squad for the series remains to be seen.
The teams’ most recent head-to-head history does suggest the home-turf advantage will have its part to play in the outcome, with Sri Lanka winning 2-1 the last time they hosted India in a Test series in 2008 but losing 2-0 when they toured India for the return series late in 2009.
Murali is in the privileged position of ending his Test career at the time of his own choosing, but it’s now up to his teammates to ensure it ends with a victory.
They just might do it too.
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