Credit: ICC
On July 22, 2010, Sri Lanka legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan played his last international Test match in Galle and completed his 800 red-ball wickets. Appearing against Team India, the spin wizard exuded confidence with the ball and took eight wickets in the match. Batting first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka erected a total of 520/8 and declared the first innings. Defending the total, Sri Lanka witnessed the heroics of Muralitharan, who played the role of wrecker-in-chief. In the 21st over of India’s innings, he picked up the crucial scalp of Sachin Tendulkar, who could score only eight runs from his bat.
After Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and captain MS Dhoni also became the victims of the star spinner. Both wickets were crucial for Sri Lanka as they were settled at the crease and looking to help India make a comeback in the match. Skipper Dhoni got cleaned up after scoring 33 off 47 while Yuvraj was playing at 52 when he got caught at the hands of Mahela Jayawardene. After hunting three big names, Murali didn’t relent against tailenders Pragyan Ojha and Abhimanyu Mithun and sent both batters to the pavilion to bundle out India on 276 in 65 overs. Muralitharan concluded his 17-over spell with 5/63 figures. It marked his 67th fifer in Test cricket.
Muttiah Muralitharan made his last Test spell memorable
After folding India on 276, Sri Lanka forced a follow-on on MS Dhoni’s men. Playing his final innings, Muralitharan was required to grab three scalps to complete his 800 Test wickets. Bowling his final spell, he dismissed Yuvraj Singh, who came at number six.
The veteran spinner emerged as a nightmare for Mithun and Pragyan again. With Ojha’s fall, the Sri Lankan broke into record books as the first Test bowler to claim 800 wickets. With this game, he also wrapped up his distinguished 18-year red-ball career. Sri Lanka were tasked to chase only 95 runs and the hosts did it comfortably and bagged a 10-wicket win.
