After the drawn first Test in Ahmedabad,questions were raised about the spin bowlers in general and the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket,Muttiah Muralitharan,in particular. But Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara ended all discussion about his strike bowlers form and ability with an unambiguous mini-speech on the eve of the second Test,starting in Kanpur on Tuesday. Asked if it was unusual for Murali to go wicketless in an innings,Sangakkara said: Yes,its unusual, and then started to explain why his team always banked heavily on the off-spinner to take wickets. When you have a legend in your team like Murali,you have to depend on him,because you know he can bail you out at any time. Its lucky that weve always had good support bowlers for Murali (Chanaka) Welegedara did well in the first match,and there is a strong spin attack but at the end,the bowling has to revolve around him. Its like that with all teams. If there are legends,you rely on them. In Sri Lankan cricket,weve been lucky to have Murali in Tests,Sanath (Jayasuriya) in one-dayers,and Chaminda Vaas in all forms of the game over the last decade. We dont expect our new players to be like Vaas or Murali,because they are what they are. We just want the best possible players to come out of our country. In this series,I dont see Murali as struggling. He is just finding himself again in a new way. Im a very strong believer he is our match-winner still. Let Viru be Earlier in the day,India skipper MS Dhoni had been similarly forthright while defending his opening batsman Virender Sehwag,who had got off to good starts in Motera but failed to build on them. The shot against spinner Rangana Herath that got him out in the second innings (a premeditated slog on one knee that went straight to mid-on) was particularly slammed as reckless and irresponsible. You dont want to say much to Virender Sehwag because thats the kind of cricket he plays, Dhoni said. Thats what he is known for. He is more of an aggressor if he makes 200,he will score them quickly. He is not the kind of batsman who will stick to the wicket and take one-and-a-half or two days to get those runs. He looks to get on with the game,he tries to put pressure on the bowlers,and thats his brand of cricket. We just want him to play his natural game. He is also a very experienced player,so I dont really need to say anything to him.
