The next Muralitharan on the horizon
The 23rd over the Indian innings in the second one-dayer saw Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara unleashing his surprise weapon in the form of 24-year-old Suraj Randiv, touted by pundits as the next Muttiah Muralitharan. With an action that resembles India’s yesteryear off-spin wizard Srinivas Venkatraghavan, Suraj made a mark with his 15th ball when he trapped Virat Kohli leg-before to give him his debut wicket. Whilst he took a pasting in the hands of M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina but the lion-hearted youngster came back to get rid of a tired Dhoni in the final over and also bagged Bhajji’s wicket to end his first game with figures of 10-0-51-3.
On the eve of the Nagpur game, Suraj in a brief chat had said that he was a big fan of Murali and wanted to emulate the legendary offie. “Murali has always been an inspiration. He has been a great player and a great human,†said the 24-year-old. Interestingly, the tall spinner began his career as a fast bowler in the junior level in Sri Lanka. “During an under-15 match, my coach asked me to bowl off-spin as there were none in our school at that time,†Suraj reminisced. Thus, began Suraj’s spin sojourn which saw him represent Matara SC while at school. He steadily climbed the cricketing ladder putting up some notable performances both the ball and the bat that caught the attention of Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Atapattu.
“He is one of the most promising off-spinners that we have in Sri Lanka. He has been around for sometime. Selectors have labelled him as the next Murali. He is tall guy and is very handy with the bat too. He has scored a couple of centuries too in the first class cricket,†said Mahela Jayawardene on the eve of the second one-dayer.
Speaking about the variations in his kitty, “The off-spinner and top-spinner is something that I am comfortable with,†was Suraj’s reply. Unlike most off-spinners who want to bowl the Doosra, Suraj seems to have left it for Muralis and Harbhajans of the world to master. “I will stick to what I am good at,†Suraj said.
On the most heartening aspect of Suraj, Mahela mentioned, “He not only has the talent but also the right attitude to excel in international cricket.â€
The Matara lad has been amongst wickets this season and his all-round show in the Sri Lankan domestic circuit automatically got him the ticket to the big league. On playing for Sri Lanka, Suraj said, “Every player dreams of representing the country at some point of time. It is the same with me and I just hope to make a mark.â€
With an impressive outing in his very first international game, Suraj looks on the right track to emulate his idol.
