Between April 2008 and May 2009, he took 47 ODI wickets and became Sri Lanka’s leading one-day strike bowler. By the end of day three –day two was a complete washout– he had inched to 793, with Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket. But the fourth day brought 12 Indian wickets, five of them going to Murali. On the final day, with India following on, Vangipurapu Venkata Sai (VVS) Laxman shepherded the tail, seeking a draw while Sri Lanka pushed for a win and those two wickets for Murali. But Murali got Pragyan Ojha to nick one to slip –a record 77th time c Jayawardene b Muralitharan appeared on a Test scorecard– and, he was carried off the field with 800 Test wickets in the bagWhat a jubilation.

Source: The Nation July 21, 2021 19:52 UTC