Such has been the hype around new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis that the original master, Muttiah Muralitharan, despite his 11 wickets in the first Test and a Man of the Match performance, hasn’t been the man about town. But as the dust settles at the SSC and the bandwagon moves to Galle for the second Test, there are several old-timers who give a new spin to the myth surrounding the world’s leading wicket-taker and pay tributes to the man who has repeatedly reinvented himself.

Analysing Murali’s dismissals during the first Test, an intriguing trend appears — most of his 11 wickets came about when he was bowling ‘round-the-wicket’. He took all six wickets in the second innings by bowling ‘round-the-wicket’ (see box), and that means Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by the doosra on the legs twice in this game.

Sri Lanka A team coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, who was Murali’s first captain at the Tamil Union cricket club way back in the early 90s and a close friend till date, was instrumental in the bowler frequently changing his run-up route from the conservative ‘over the wicket’ a few years back. And with the referral system coming into play, the coach is delighted that the new path will get Murali more dividends.

Confidence in his ability

But before he goes into details of the technical aspect of this ‘round-the-wicket’ advantage, he recalls a conversation with Murali on the eve of the Test that explains the confidence the master has in his own ability. Hathurusinghe speaks of how he tapped Murali on his shoulders as he saw him hunched over the boundary line fence, looking at the media circus following Mendis. He inquired how Murali felt since, for a change, the attention was not on him. Since the two go back a long way, Hathurusinghe could take liberties and ask his old pal a direct question.

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