Muttiah Muralitharan's India jinx continues. Late last year, the champion off-spinner took a caning from the Indian batsmen
Muttiah Muralitharan's India jinx continues. Late last year, the champion off-spinner took a caning from the Indian batsmen (nine wickets in three Tests conceding 591 runs) which resulted in a 0-2 series loss for Sri Lanka.
Now, playing for the Chennai Super Kings, Muralitharan's luck has not changed dramatically. He did well to claim three wickets for 16 runs to help restrict Kings XI Punjab to 136 yesterday. This prompted his skipper Suresh Raina to give him the ball when it came to the Super Over after the scores were tied. But fellow Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, not known for his big-hitting, slammed Murali for a first-ball six.u00a0
"I chose Murali for the Super Over because he bowled well in the game," stressed Raina, who is stand-in captain for the injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Though Murali's Super Over responsibility came as no surprise to Jayawardene and his skipper Sangakkara, Jayawardene may have relished the opportunity to have a go at his Lankan teammate having watched so much of him in international cricket.
What made Sangakkara choose Jayawardene to play the Super Over first up? "He's a player who can rotate the strike. He uses the pace of the ball well for some deft placements," Sangakkara said.
