Mendis an unusual spinner, says Dhoni

India one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has conceded it was not easy to read Sri Lanka's unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis.

"When you are playing Mendis, you have to save wickets and get runs as well. It gets a bit tough. Even Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) was difficult some time back, but Mendis is a bit more unusual than him," said Dhoni.

Mendis played a key role in his team's eight-wicket win over India in the first one-dayer of the five-match series, finishing with 3-21 off nine overs to restrict the tourists to 146.

Sri Lanka achieved the modest target with more than 15 overs to spare, with the man-of-the-match award going to Mendis.

"It's difficult to pick him (Mendis). He is a very different bowler. Even if you pick him, by the time you realise what ball it is, it gets really late to play a big shot," said Dhoni.

"In one-day cricket, it is not only about playing him but also rotating the strike because you don't want a bowler to end up with 10 overs for 20 runs. We need to find a way to rotate the strike.

"I have not seen any bowler like him. He is an unusual bowler. The only option right now is to play more and more of him and that's the only way of getting better."

The Indian captain said losing early wickets affected his team's chances of posting a decent total.

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Mendis sets record as India slump

Spin sensation Ajantha Mendis broke a 62-year-old record to help Sri Lanka close in on a series win over India.

India lead the hosts by just 14 runs after being reduced to 161-5 in their second innings on day three of the third and final Test in Colombo.

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara was finally out for 144 in Sri Lanka's 396.

Mendis's two wickets, which included Sachin Tendulkar, took his series total to 25 and broke Alec Bedser's record for the most wickets in a debut series.

"It is a phenomenal achievement. He came in when Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) needed support and he rose to the occasion well," said Sangakkara.

"He has gone beyond our expectations and the important thing for him is to keep learning."

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Murali and Mendis maul India

In a match dominated by not one but two spin wizards, Sri Lanka completely destroyed the Indian batting line-up twice over to script their best win at home. India started the fourth day needing 242 runs to avoid the follow-on but, with 77 minutes to go to stumps, they had slumped to their third-worst Test defeat ever with an abject collapse against Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.

Murali and Mendis, assisted by the ever-alert close-in cordon, did not loosen the vice-like grip they had had over the batsmen from the moment the ball was thrown to Mendis in the 10th over of India's first innings. With Mendis keeping the batsmen on a leash - his only two bad deliveries were the full tosses in his first two overs - and leaving the batsmen mesmerised, it was Murali who smiled his way to two five-fors and his 21st ten-wicket haul, which was also his fourth at the SSC.

There was no respite for the batsmen from either end as 19 wickets fell to the spin pair, who bowled 87.5 overs out of the 117.5 that India faced in the match. Murali was always likely to be a threat, but Mendis showed that his six-wicket haul against India in the Asia Cup final was not a one-off. His bowling action is almost as intriguing as the kind of deliveries he bowls: in his final stride, the index finger of his left hand points upwards, as if giving the batsman out. On the basis of this performance, that action is completely justified as one of the most anticipated debuts of recent times turned out to be the best for a Sri Lankan.

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Lanka's 'Outstanding Sportsman of the Year'

Just days ahead of the home Test series against India, spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan got the confidence booster as he was chosen for Sri Lanka's 'Most Outstanding Sportsman of the Year award'.

President Mahinda Rajapakse honoured Muralitharan the award at a glittering function here on Wednesday night. A beaming Muralitharan thanked the President after receiving the award.

Averaging more than six wickets per Test in his 16 years of international cricket, Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the game.

He surpassed long time Australian rival Shane Warne's record 708 wickets in December last year on his home turf of Kandy to become the highest Test wicket-taker and has 735 scalps to his name now from 120 matches.

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I am just beginning, says Mendis

Ajantha Mendis stepped into the limelight at the Asia Cup final and it seems he just can’t step out of it. For a full forty minutes Mendis was the centre of attention as he got a taste of how the Indian media treated cricketers at the launch of Travelorg Holidays as official tour operator for the upcoming Indo-Lanka series.

Ever smiling, like that other Sri Lankan spinner, Mendis whispered answers in Sinhala for Arjuna Ranatunga to translate. Mendis, whose only unaided utterance, also in Sinhala, was something to the tune of “come watch us play.”

Ranatunga, never short of words, did more than just translate, generously adding to Mendis’ short answers. “Murali is a legend. He has gone very far and I am just beginning,” said Mendis when the inevitable comparison came his way.

Ranatunga let Mendis go in quick time as the bowler had a return flight to catch. “He took a day’s break from practice and I don’t want him to miss another day,” said Ranatunga. “I’m not too comfortable calling Ajantha a freak but he is a freak bowler. He has five different deliveries and is mastering one more,” said Ranatunga. “You have to be at him all the time. To play against Mendis will be the ultimate test.”

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'Hopefully Tendulkar will break Lara's record in Sri Lanka'

Muttiah Muralitharan is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers to have graced the game. The ace off-spinner has a tally of 735 wickets from 120 Test matches and is galloping towards the magical 1,000-wicket mark. Many believe he is the only one capable of attaining that milestone.

At 36, he is not getting any younger, but his bowling seems to be improving with every outing. Next in his path is the famed Indian batting line-up, in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka starting July 23.

Muralitharan believes that though India will start as favourites, the Sri Lankans are confident they can repeat their Test series triumph of 2001.

Special Correspondent Harish Kotian caught up with him in Mumbai to discuss the forthcoming Test series.

India have done well away from home in the last few years. Can we say that they start as favourites in the upcoming series?

Definitely, they have to start as favourites, because they have done well in Australia. They also performed in a few series before that, like in South Africa; so they will start as favourites. I would like them to start as favourites, because we have to come back and beat them.

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SRI LANKANS UPSET BY EGG INCIDENT

The Sri Lankan cricket board have called for security measures to be stepped up after Muttiah Muralitharan and team management had an egg thrown at them in Hobart earlier this week.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening while the group were walking from a restaurant to the team hotel. The egg hit the back of one of the selectors.

K Madivanan, secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee, said: "It is a disgraceful act by whoever did it as Muralitharan is a sporting ambassador and a good human being.

"He is here as a great cricketer to represent his country and this act is condemned by everybody.

"However, we still want to believe that Muralitharan was not the target. Having said that, we know that Cricket Australia has done their best so far and we have requested them to beef up the security even further to avoid such shameful acts in the future."

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Kumble confident that Murali will get 1000 wickets

India's captain and most successful bowler Anil Kumble is confident that Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would be able to claim 1000 Test scalps in his career.

Just a few days ago, Murali became the world's highest wicket-taker.

"I spoke to Murali yesterday. And I told him he would get to 1000 Test wickets. He is a good bowler. It's a big achievement," Kumble said at the customary media conference after the second Test between India and Pakistan ended in a draw.

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Murali visits Lankan President

Legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had a special day when he took his parents along for a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's at his residence here.

The President congratulated Muralitharan for claiming the world record for the highest number of Test wickets and presented him with a car donated by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Parliamentary Speaker WJM Lokubandara and Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge were also present on the occasion on Friday.

The members of the visiting England cricket team were also present.

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Sri Lanka stars top ICC rankings

Sri Lanka's prolific Kumar Sangakkara took over as the No.1 Test batsman after his record-breaking feats in the first Test against England, according to official new rankings.

Sangakkara's teammate Muttiah Muralidaran, who this week overtook retired Shane Warne as the leading wicket-taker, already tops the Test rankings for bowlers on International Cricket Council rankings.

Left-handed Sangakkara, 30, continued his brilliant recent form by making 92 and a match-winning 152 to help Sri Lanka defeat England by 88 runs in the Kandy Test.

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Sri Lanka beat the light to secure victory

It took more sweat and toil than Sri Lanka might have envisaged, but they eventually wrapped up an 88-run victory in the first Test at Kandy about 20 minutes before bad light would have come to England's rescue.

A defiant stand of 109 in 44 overs between Ian Bell and Matt Prior gave England hope of survival after a poor morning session, however in fitting style Muttiah Muralitharan removed both with wicked deliveries to ensure a match that started with him as centre of attention ended with him the hero.

But it took Muralitharan more than two sessions to make his decisive mark. Firstly Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando did the damage then Sri Lanka came up against the Bell-Prior alliance.

As England ticked down the minutes during the final session Mahela Jayawardene began to fret, perhaps having flashbacks to the 2003-04 series when England hung on in the first two Tests.

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Murali smashes Test wicket record

Muttiah Muralitharan smashed Test cricket's wicket-taking record Monday with his 709th victim as Sri Lanka dismissed England for 281 on the third day of the first Test match.

Muralitharan, playing in his 116th test, reached the milestone when he bowled Paul Collingwood for 45 during the third day of play at Asgiriya Stadium.

The offspinner later had Matthew Hoggard stumped for his 710th wicket and finished the innings with six for 55 runs.

Muralitharan had a frustrating first spell, bowling nine overs without success and conceding 19 runs. His breakthrough came in the first over of his second spell, the 26th of the day, when he clipped Collingwood's middle stump.

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Murali better than Warne says KP

Kevin Pietersen has admitted that Muttiah Muralitharan is a harder bowler to bat against than the great Shane Warne.

The England batsman has had battles against both Muralitharan and Warne, but as he gears up to face the Sri Lankan spin wizard in the first Test in Kandy starting on Saturday, Pietersen said Muralitharan is tougher challenge because of his ability to spin the ball both ways.

"I know the way Shane tries to get you out and the way Muralitharan tries to get you out," said Pietersen.

"The difference is Muralitharan spins the ball both ways and is harder to pick; he is a lot harder challenge because of the way he spins it both ways with a pretty similar action.

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Murali reaches 700 Test wickets

SRI Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has become the second bowler after Australia's Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets.

The off spinner reached the landmark when he had Bangladesh's last man Syed Rasel caught in the deep by Farveez Maharoof on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Asgiriya stadium in Kandy.

The dismissal signalled Sri Lanka's victory by an innings and 193 runs to give the host a 3-0 sweep of the series.

Muralitharan finished with six wickets in each innings to claim 10 wickets or more in a Test for the 20th time.

Muralitharan, 35, is now just nine wickets away from surpassing the retired Warne's world record tally of 708.

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