In these parts of the world he is known as Muruku (someone who can turn things). Ask the locals in Kandy,a quaint town,which is a three-hour drive from Colombo,about Muttiah Muralithran and they gesticulate with their hands to show how,quite amazingly,he could turn the ball a few yards. Talking to people here isnt much of a hassle even if one doesn't know Sinhalese. Say Murali and people are ready to spare time for a chat. They still prefer to talk about him as the boy who could turn the ball more than anyone else. The doosra and other variations dont appeal to people in Muralis hometown. Here people know him as the keen medium-pacer and middle-order bat,who started bowling big off-spinners. Newspaper cuttings preserved by Sunil Fernando,Murali's junior coach and long-time mentor,mention his batting scores in local school games in Kandy. His 200-plus wickets in two school cricket seasons 1989-90 and 1990-91 is what gave him the big break. A tablet at the entry of the St Antonys College ground,Murali's alma mater,is dedicated to his early records in school cricket,which stand to this day. The under-17 team is involved in a practice game on Saturday. There's a boy who bowls with an action similar to that of the wizard. This guy is good but what most boys dont realise is that Murali is unique. It wont be easy for others to succeed, says Chandra Mahawattee,the sports secretary of the St Antonys College Old Boys Association. We may consider instituting a sports award in his name,which he can give away every year. He has been rather busy playing cricket but now he will be able to spend more time in Kandy, Mahawattee added. Its not that Muralithran has cold-shouldered his friends in Kandy. Last December,Muralitharan sponsored and organised a get-together of his 1991 college batch. Twenty-five of us,all old friends,met largely thanks to the efforts of Murali. When I call him today he always calls back no matter where he is or how busy he is, Mohammad Azary,a close friend,who has known Murali since Grade I,said. It was great fun catching up. Murali was very popular. We were in a minority in college and school as there were three Sinhalese batches and only one Tamil batch. Murali,because of his big smile and his prodigious talent,was popular among everyone. He was also a good negotiator. When fights broke out often between Sinhalese and Tamil students,we used to push Murali in front of the pack. He was a good fighter,rather fearless. But what helped was that he was a good talker and could quickly calm tempers, Azary recalled. On the field,Murali was competitive even before he became an off-spinner. Tales of him walking back with his eyes full after being dismissed are many in cricket circles here. The ambitious streak was so strong that Murali even wanted to fight for the place of captain in the school team. Only his love for movies matched his passion for cricket. Being a hostel student he didnt get the opportunity to venture out often. We would tell him the storyline and he would keep asking questions and would listen for hours,especially if it was a Rajinikanth movie. But he never neglected his studies. He was a master at mugging up notes. Once he became an off-spinner though,academics was put on the back-burner, Azary added. Coach Fernando insisted that the medium-pacer,who could swing the ball should turn to off-spin. At that time we had some sharp upcoming fast bowlers and I knew that Murali,who was about 16 then,would lose out. I used to bowl off-cutters so I asked Murali if he wanted to try his hand at it. He he readily agreed. Soon he was taking wickets by the bucket-loads. I never changed his natural action and he was never no-balled. The best batsmen in Colombo didn't know how to play him. A few big egos were pricked. The coach also recalled how his most famous ward took six wickets in a match bowling leg-spin. Ruwan Kalpage was the senior spinner in the side and was doing rather well. Murali wanted to prove his versatility and give his team options. So he even used to bowl leg-spin, Fernando added. Fernando believes that Muralis timing for hanging up his boots from Test cricket is right. We often talked about his dream of taking 1,000 wickets. But Murali will never overstay if he knows he can't be at his best or holding up a place. I don't want to see him go how Sanath Jayasuriya went,having to be pushed out, Fernando said. Everyone readily gives directions to Nattarampotha,Kundasale,where Muralis family lives. People dont see him enough because he is often in Colombo or away on international duty. Samantha Pereira,who lives a stone's throw away says,He comes here to visit his parents but I am sure he will soon be seen here regularly. Kandy awaits the homecoming of the boy who could bowl big off-breaks. On his last Test match: I can't say it's a big match. Just another match and it is going to be the last match for me. I have been happy with the way I have played in the last 18-19 years. Hopefully,I will do well and get a good result for Sri Lanka and retire very well. That's the whole plan. On being 8 away from 800 wickets: If I do not get a single wicket or if I get five wickets,I will (still) be very happy. I will try all my tricks in the middle for the last time. Let's see if it works or not. I am going to really enjoy the game rather than think about how many wickets I am going to need. Just enjoy the game and not put much pressure on myself. On his overall Test career: I never dreamt I would be finishing like this. I think I had a great finish because I have done very well in Test cricket. You can't get the record easily. Because of that,I have no regrets. I am not sad,I am very happy with what I have achieved and I am glad I am going out in a good manner because people are not asking me to go.
