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'Dravid, one of the greatest. But he could never read me': Tendulkar reacts to Muralitharan's jaw-dropping revelation
Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan made a major revelation about Rahul Dravid during an event for his upcoming biopic, ‘800’.
Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spin wizard, remains an enduring figure in cricketing history. With his wide range of spin deliveries and an unparalleled ability to bamboozle batters, Muralitharan etched his name as the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI fomats. His record-breaking 1,347 wickets in international cricket, including a staggering 800 in Tests, are a testament to his unparalleled skill and consistency. And his incredible cricketing journey is set to come alive on the big screen as the trailer for his biographical film, '800,' was unveiled earlier this week.
The trailer launch event was attended by one of Muralitharan's former Sri Lankan teammates and legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya, as well as his famous adversary, batting great Sachin Tendulkar. Unsurprisingly, as the trio shared the stage, it was a cricket lover's delight as the three shared stories of their playing days, particularly about competing against each other. Muralitharan spoke in detail about how Tendulkar was one of his most difficult competitors, while also making a rather surprising revelation on Rahul Dravid.
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Muralitharan revealed that both, Dravid and former West Indies captain Brian Lara failed to read his deliveries. Both did, however, went on to have stellar international careers and also produced solid performances against Sri Lanka during their playing days. Dravid boasted of an average of 48.64, scoring three centuries in 20 Tests against Sri Lanka while Lara had an even better record, averaging 86.53 in 8 Tests, scoring five tons.
“I know he (Tendulkar) read me very well. Not many people could do that. Brian Lara had success but he never read me. I don't know what mechanism he had. I know Rahul Dravid, he's one of the greatest players, (but) he never read me. I knew that! Sachin, (Virender) Sehwag, (Gautam) Gambhir and some others could read me, others would just play me. Even in my team, some people read and some couldn't. Legends like him (Tendulkar), he could watch the seam of the ball from the hand itself,” Muralitharan said at the event.
Tendulkar makes major revelation
The former Indian batter chuckled as Muralitharan spoke about Dravid's failure at reading him, and went on to describe a rather unknown anecdote about the Sri Lankan legend. Tendulkar revealed that Muralitharan practiced ‘doosra’ – a variation of spin bowling – in the nets for 18 months before trying it for the first time at the international level.
"Like he (Muralitharan) said, very few guys could read him. But in that also, he wanted to develop more things. If I'm not mistaken, he developed ‘doosra’ in the late 90s. And the story that I heard through Harbhajan, was that he knew how to bowl ‘doosra’ way earlier but he used to practice it in the nets. For 18 months, he continued ‘doosra’ in the nets before he tried it in international cricket.
“The reason for that, was that he should not lose his original strength, the quality that he possessed. While bowling in Test cricket, you have to continue develop new things, you have to reinvent yourself. Batters also try to figure out what the bowler is trying to do,” Tendulkar said, as the crowd present in the event applauded Muralitharan.
