Widely regarded as one of the greatest spinners of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan became the first bowler in the history of the game to reach the 800-wicket mark in the longest format on this day, ten years ago. He achieved the feat during the Test match against India in Galle. The Test was Muralitharan's last in a celebrated playing career.
Coming into the Test, Muralitharan required eight wickets to reach the magical milestone of 800 wickets. It was the first Test of the series and the Sri Lankan great had made up his mind to take the eight wickets in the same Test and retire from the format.
Kumar Sangakkara, who was the captain of Sri Lanka at the time, recalled that the team tried to persuade him to play the full series, in case he failed to take eight wickets in the first match.
"I said ‘Murali, we know you like taking up challenges. But think of it this way. It’s a tragedy if you come so close and don’t get your 800. So you can play the 1st Test, and then if you are too tired or have a niggle, take the 2nd Test off and you come back for the 3rd Test. Or you can take 2 Tests off and come back for the next series," Sangakkara recalled during a conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter's Instagram series.
"Murali looked at us and said ‘you know what? That is not going to work for you or for me. I have always loved challenges and if I am supposed to be the best spinner, I should be able to take 8 wickets at Galle against any side.
"'And If I take 8 wickets, I am not just going to get my 800, we are going to win this Test match as well. If I can’t get it, I can’t get it. So this is my last Test. Thank You very much, I am going to take 8 wickets.’" Sangakkara recalled Muralitharan as saying.
And Muralitharan fulfilled the challenge he posed to himself, as he took exactly eight wickets to not only reach the 800 wickets, but also steer Sri Lanka to a 10-wicket win over MS Dhoni's side in Galle. A perfect farewell, eh?
In the first innings of the Galle Test, Muralitharan took his 67th five-wicket haul to bowl India out for 276, giving his side a 244-run lead. Sri Lanka, then, decided to enforce a follow-on.
Even if one would hire a high-profile Hollywood scriptwriter, they wouldn't have done justice to the way Muralitharan left the field for the final time in his Test career.
He had taken two wickets in the second innings and Sri Lanka required merely a wicket to bowl India out again. However, the duo of Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha had stood for more than 15 overs. It was the final day of the Test match and there was a reasonable cloud-cover over Galle - with India's lead of over 90.
Then, at 1.55 PM, it was, poetically, Muralitharan who did what he does so often. He trapped Pragyan Ojha with a sharp off-break, providing an easy catch to Mahela Jayawardene. Sri Lanka, then, went on to win the match by 10 wickets, completing the 95-run chase in 14.1 overs.
Thus, he not only reached the 800-wicket mark, but also played a key role in the side's win in the first Test. He retired from the format after the game, and a year later, hung his boots from international cricket, too.
