Muttiah Muralitharan Picks 'Toughest Indian Batsman' He Has Bowled To

Muttiah Muralitharan also shared that he thoroughly enjoyed his time playing for the Kochi franchise during the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner who holds the record for being the only bowler to take over 500 wickets each in both Tests and ODIs, has disclosed that former Indian opener Virender Sehwag was the most challenging batsman he bowled to in his career.

During an interactive session with students of Kerala's SB College in Changanassery on Saturday, Muttiah Muralitharan unveiled that mastering the 'doosra,' a leg-break disguised as an off-break, marked a crucial turning point in his career.

“It was Saqlain Mushtaq (former Pakistan off-spinner), who taught me the basics of bowling the ‘doosra’. ‘Doosra’ is a challenging delivery to master, and it took me over three years to bowl it with precision,” Muralitharan was quoted as saying by Khelnow.com .

The 51-year-old, who announced his retirement from international cricket at 38, expressed that the batsman he "greatly admired" was the West Indies legend Viv Richards.

Hope Kerala will continue to produce more talented cricketers, says Muttiah Muralitharan 

Muttiah Muralitharan also shared that he thoroughly enjoyed his time playing for the Kochi franchise during the 2011 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

“Playing for Kochi Tuskers was a great experience. I hope Kerala will continue to produce more talented cricketers like S Sreesanth and Sanju Samson,” he added.

Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most wickets in both Test and ODI cricket. Across his remarkable career spanning from 1992 to 2011, he participated in 350 ODIs, claiming 534 wickets. His best bowling performance was 7/30, achieving ten five-wicket hauls.

In a prolific Test career spanning from 1992 to 2008, Muttiah Muralitharan claimed a staggering 800 wickets in 133 matches. His best bowling figures were 9/51, and he achieved 67 five-wicket hauls along with 22 instances of taking 10 wickets in a match.

Muralitharan bid farewell to Test cricket in 2008, playing his last match against India. His ODI career concluded following Sri Lanka's loss to India in the final of the 2011 World Cup.