In the general run of things, one would always imagine legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan foxing former Indian batter Virender Sehwag but there was one particular incident where Sehwag cunningly deceived Muralitharan to register triumph in a one-to-one battle.
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If truth be told, Sehwag not only won a battle against Muralitharan on that occasion but also gained ascendancy over other bowlers namely Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis to score a match-winning 201* (231) at the Galle International Stadium during India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2008. Sehwag, who hit 22 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 87.01, hit a swashbuckling double century in conditions where no other batter could even touch the three-figure mark.
Readers must note that Sehwag’s 16th Test century and fifth double century earned him the sixth of his eight Player of the Match awards in this format. In what was one of the most difficult double-centuries in terms of conditions, it is worth mentioning that it came in a series where a majority of Indian batters struggled to result in a 1-2 series loss.
How Virender Sehwag Cunningly Deceived Muttiah Muralitharan in Galle Test
That being said, Sehwag’s knock wasn’t bereft of challenges. Sehwag, who disclosed in a discussion with Gaurav Kapur on Breakfast With Champions that Muralitharan was the only bowler he was scared to get out to, used his street-smart skills to not only counter him but also make him pretty much ineffective.
“I used to be scared regarding making runs against him [Muttiah Muralitharan] because he would dismiss me. I was not able to pick his doosra during my 201* in Sri Lanka [Galle]. So, what I did to tackle him was to hit everything through the covers irrespective of it being an off-spin [delivery] or doosra. He then started bowling at my legs from round the wicket to restrict me from scoring runs.”
For the unversed, a doosra is bowled by an off-spinner. The “other one” for him, successful execution sees a bowler turning the ball away from a right-handed contrary to what a normal off-break ball does. Sehwag playing everything through the covers might have made Muralitharan assume that his doosra isn’t bothering the batter to an extent that he is scoring runs off it nonchalantly. It is due to the same reason why Kapur interruptted his guest by saying “Budhu banaya [You tricked him]”.
However, one has to give credit to the Sehwag here for hitting a spinner of Muralitharan’s class against the turn on a regular basis is no mean task. Sehwag, who had talked about fearing Muralitharan’s doosra in the past as well, admitted that it took him as many as seven years to come up with a plan against the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
“It [aforementioned incident] was in perhaps 2007-2008 [2008] and I’d been facing him since 2001. It took me seven years to tackle him,” Sehwag mentioned. While Sehwag faced Muralitharan for a full decade in international cricket, the two clashed in Test cricket only between 2005-2010.
Virender Sehwag’s Wife Questions Muttiah Muralitharan
In the same conversation, Sehwag revealed how an affectionate relationship with Muralitharan allowed his wife, Aarti Sehwag, to question the Sri Lankan superstar the following year.
During the third Test of Sri Lanka’s tour of India 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium, Sehwag was on the verge of creating history when Muralitharan affected a caught and bowled to dismiss him. Only seven runs short of becoming the first-ever cricketer to register three triple centuries in Test cricket, Sehwag had walked back to the pavilion after scoring another match-winning 293 (254).
“Why did you take that catch?,” Aarti had asked Muttiah perhaps after the day’s play. “What do I do? I was playing for Sri Lanka, so I had to get him out,” Sehwag hilariously mimicked Muralitharan’s response.
