Muralitharan hoping to make a difference

Wednesday, 8 April 2015 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Hindu: Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, donning a new role as bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), believes his team has the perfect balance to pull off major surprises in this edition of the IPL. He also insists it will be an open field given the fact that so many quality players are playing for different franchises. “We have very good fast bowlers, spinners and a solid batting line-up. SRH should be one of the strongest contenders this time around,” he said in a telephonic chat with The Hindu.

“My role is more of a consultant giving the necessary inputs as the ultimate goal of each member of the team is to come up with better performances,” said Test cricket’s highest wicket-taker with 800 victims. The Sri Lankan great feels that there are two significant aspects to the IPL, irrespective of what critics might say. “It gives a huge opportunity to play with and against the best players. This itself is a big learning curve. “Secondly, if any player performs consistently, it will only help him get the name and fame. Yes, no doubt Test cricket remains the ultimate format for any player. But, performances in the IPL help players gain confidence and dream of playing for their country,” he said. Muralitharan dismissed the idea of a similar assignment with the Sri Lankan team in future. “Oh! Not really. I just got an opportunity thanks to SRH. I want to stay connected with the game; I am quite happy with this. Definitely, not thinking about any coaching job with the Lankans,” he said. Any targets for the new role? “Nothing personal. We all work for the success of the team. Having played against Tom Moody (head coach) and V.V.S. Laxman (mentor), it does help me a lot in contributing to the team’s success in my own way,” Muralitharan said. “I hope the players will rise to the big challenge,” he said. “I enjoyed playing in the IPL, with fond memories of winning it for CSK, and the CLT20 also. It was also a great experience playing for RCB,” he said. About the IPL being held soon after the World Cup, he said it was the players’ job to keep playing regardless of the format.