On This Day In 2010: Muralitharan Signs Off With 800 Wickets In Test Cricket
News18
On This Day In 2010: One of the greatest spinners the world has ever seen, Muttiah Muralitharan, retired from Test cricket on this day after a remarkable career for Sri Lanka. An unorthodox off-spinner with a lethal doosra, the magician cast his spell on batters from all over the globe and finished with an incredible 800 scalps in Test cricket at Galle versus India in 2010.
Heading into the three-match series versus the neighbours, Muralitharan shocked cricket lovers by announcing that the opening Test at Galle will be his last.
Aged 38, the great off-spinner decided to hang up his boots and rest his shoulders after carrying Sri Lanka's bowling attack throughout his glorious 18-year reign.
#OnThisDay in 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan signed off from Test cricket in style by taking his 800th Test wicket pic.twitter.com/KEP4lCRfg4 — ICC (@ICC) July 22, 2016
The feisty character challenged himself, however, to record the unbelievable 800 wickets milestone in that Test match and hand the hosts an upper hand over the tourists.
Standing on 792 wickets in 132 appearances, Muralitharan turned his 133rd and last Test for Sri Lanka into a memorable one as his figures of 5 for 63 and 3 for 128 helped the Lankan Lions defeat the mighty Indian side, featuring some of the legends of the game.
He then got rid of the maestro Sachin Tendulkar and skipper MS Dhoni to stand on the brink of his finest achievement.
Late resistance from India's lower-order forced Muralitharan to wait, but he ultimately bagged the insurmountable No.800 by dismissing Pragyan Ojha and closing off the Indian innings at 338, setting up an easy chase of 95 runs and a ten-wicket victory for his team.
Muralitharan celebrated his greatest feat in front of his family and friends present amidst a packed crowd at the Galle International Stadium.
He was later lifted on his teammates' shoulders in the most emotional post-match scenes as Sri Lanka's finest cricketer bid farewell to the Test match game.
On this day in 2010, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan retired from the longest format of the game, finishing with 800 Test wickets 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xw17urNuKc — ICC (@ICC) July 22, 2022
Muralitharan finished as the format's highest wicket-taker, with his tally unlikely to be surpassed in an era of dwindling number of Tests.
He recorded his 800 wickets at a staggering average of 22.72 and holds the record for most five-wicket hauls (67) and most ten-wicket hauls (22) to his name.
view comments
First Published:
July 22, 2025, 07:39 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh vs Koneru Humpy: How the Indians stack up before FIDE Women's World Cup final
The FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia will see a battle of generations as 38-year-old Koneru Humpy takes on 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh in the two-game final starting from Saturday. It is an India vs India clash after both players defeated Chinese opponents in the semi-finals. Here's how Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy stack up heading into the game. Humpy is the first Indian woman to become a grandmaster. Since then, just two women have followed suit. Divya could become the third at Batumi if she wins the title. Humpy's peak standard rating was 2623, which she achieved in July 2009. Her current rating is 2536. Divya's peak standard rating was 2501, achieved in October last year. Humpy is currently ranked no 5 in the world in the FIDE ratings list for women while Divya is world no 18 (which makes her the fourth ranked Indian on the list). In rapid, Humpy is no 10 in the world while Divya is no 22. In blitz, while the veteran is no 10 in the world among women, Divya is no 18. Humpy was once the youngest woman to achieve the grandmaster title, when she beat Judit Polgar's record by three months to reach there at the age of 15 years, one month and 27 days. Humpy has won the World Rapid Championship title twice, in 2014 and then again last year. Deshmukh was the world junior championship winner last year in the girls section. She was also the inspiration behind Indian women's team winning a gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest last year where she claimed an individual gold as well for her board. Overall games: 9 (5 with white) Humpy wins: 5 (3 with white) Divya wins: 2 (1 with white) Draws: 2 (one with each colour) In classical chess, Divya and Humpy have faced off just twice, as per FIDE records. Humpy won once, while playing with white pieces while the second game, with Divya having white, ended as a draw. In rapid contests, the duo have played two games where one game ended in a draw while Divya won the second one. Both games have been with Humpy playing white pieces. Divya and Humpy have played five blitz games against each other, where Humpy has four wins (twice each with white and black pieces) with the teenager winning the final clash.
NDTV
a few seconds ago
- NDTV
Anahat Singh Ends India's 15-Year Wait For Individual Medal At World Junior Squash Championships
Indian teen squash sensation Anahat Singh ended the country's 15-year wait for an individual medal at the World Junior Squash Championships with a bronze medal in the prestigious under-19 event. The 17-year-old, who was seeded second in the women's singles draw, suffered a loss to Egypt's Nadien Elhammamy 3-0 (11-6, 14-12, 12-10) in the semi-finals at the Black Ball Sporting Club, as per Earlier in the quarterfinals, Anahat beat Egypt's Malika Elkaraksy 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-5) to seal herself a bronze medal. "I had lost in the quarters for three years in a row, and I'm really glad I was able to reach the semi-finals this time," Anahat Singh said after her quarterfinal win as quoted by Anahat was the only Indian out of eight semifinalists. 54th in the world rankings and the reigning U19 Asian girls' champion, was the only seeded Indian in the women's draw. She had also secured the senior Asian titles in the women's and mixed doubles earlier this year and also made her World Championship debut in Chicago. She has also won plenty of PSA Challenger titles since her two-team bronze medals in the Asian Games Hangzhou back in 2022. Anahat is now the first Indian to win a medal at the World Junior Championships since Dipika Pallikal secured a bronze in 2010. However, no Indian has won a gold medal at the event, with Joshna Chinappa (silver in 2005), denied a gold medal 20 years ago. A total of 234 players are participating in the ongoing championships, which feature individual events until July 26 and team events until August 1. India has fielded a 12-member contingent for the event, six men and women each for two events. Squash will make its maiden Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028.
The Hindu
a few seconds ago
- The Hindu
R. Praggnanandhaa summons his best and shows why Magnus Carlsen sees a lot of himself in the Indian
In the latest World rankings released by FIDE, three of the top 10 are from India. The only other country that has more than one player in that list, published at the beginning of the month by the world chess governing body, is the United States, which has two. R. Praggnanandhaa is ranked fourth, making him the highest ranked Indian; he is followed in fifth and sixth places by Arjun Erigaisi and D. Gukesh, respectively. It is the first time that the 19-year-old from Chennai is the India No. 1. Not a big deal Not that he considers it a big deal. 'I am just [three points] ahead [of Arjun and Gukesh],' he stressed while talking to The Hindu recently over the phone from Zagreb, one of several international cities he has been crisscrossing through of late. He, however, admits he is rather happy with the way he has been playing over the last few months. His current Elo rating also reflects that happiness. It is his career-best — 2779. ALSO READ | Meet Eugene Torre, the pioneering Asian GM who beat Karpov and befriended Fischer He truly seems to have pushed past the disappointments of 2024, which wasn't a great year for him, especially by the high standard he has set himself. Yes, he did play his part in India's stunning triumph at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, but he wasn't as consistent last year as he would have liked. This year, though, he has been playing quite superb chess, some of the best in his career. He has already won three important classical tournaments, including the prestigious Tata Steel at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. 'It was a very important win for me because I was coming from not a great 2024,' says Praggnanandhaa. 'I had finished the previous year missing a medal at the World Rapid Championship; I was so close. I lost a game from a winning position in the penultimate round. So coming from that, starting the year with such a win certainly gives you confidence.' And Wijk aan Zee was one event he always wanted to win, from the time he was a kid. 'It has so much history, of 87 years, and it was won in the past by several World champions,' he says. 'So winning that tournament was very special for me.' He followed it up by winning the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania and the UzChess Cup in Uzbekistan. 'Tashkent was special because I wasn't thinking about winning it till the last couple of rounds,' he reveals. 'I was one and a half points behind the leader, and it didn't look like I had much of a chance, but things went my way. I managed to take my chances, against Arjun and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, two of the strongest players in the world right now. Then suddenly, I was in the tiebreakers, and I won.' ALSO READ | Should chess be an Olympic sport? In Romania, too, it was through the tiebreakers that he emerged as the champion, overcoming challenges from Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. And it was his maiden title on the Grand Chess Tour. 'Yes, this is one of the best phases of my career,' says Praggnanandhaa. 'I have tried to change a few things about my game, and they have gone my way. I am much more confident and I push myself more in those critical games.' Handling time pressure He is also happy with the way he has handled the tiebreakers. 'I needed to push myself in those games and I was able to do that,' he says. 'They are blitz games and they go down to these few seconds, which can go any way. I did need some luck in some of those games, but pushing myself certainly helped.' He is hoping to continue his form for the rest of the year, which has many major tournaments coming up, including the FIDE Grand Swiss, the Sinquefield Cup and the World Cup, which India will host. 'It is nice that the World Cup is being held in India,' he says. 'It will be an exciting event as there is a lot of interest in India in chess, and people can get to watch such a big tournament. And I am also excited to play the World Cup in India.' Praggnanandhaa is, of course, not going to be the only serious contender from India. He says being part of a group of strong Indian players definitely helps. 'I was following Gukesh's World Championship match in Singapore and his victory over Ding Liren was exciting,' he says. 'Arjun crossing the 2800 mark in Elo rating was also inspiring. With our performances, we all motivate each other. And it is nice to see other young Indian players are also doing well. Nihal Sarin is now playing more classical events, and he is winning tournaments too. And there is Aravindh Chithambaram, too.' ALSO READ | FIDE confirms World Cup in India, host city yet to be announced Gukesh, Nihal, Arjun and Praggnanandhaa have benefited from significant support from corporates. 'Sponsorship is very important,' he says. 'You have to travel a lot for tournaments, and training, too. And these things are not easy, and are expensive. 'For instance, when I prepared for the Candidates tournament, I needed to have a team and have training camps in person. All that requires financial support. I have been fortunate that Adani Group has been supporting me in a huge way. And they were there even when I was not having a good time last year. They were there supporting me throughout.' He is encouraged by the fact that more corporates in India are investing in chess. 'And we need more strong events like the Chennai Grandmasters,' he says. 'I don't mind playing anywhere but playing in India is always special to me.' Praggnanandhaa is also happy to find chess becoming even more mainstream. He will feature in the Esports World Cup, where chess will make its debut on July 29. He has joined Team Liquid, which boasts World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and No. 3 Fabiano Caruana. The Magnus effect He says he is really glad to be part of that team. Carlsen, the five-time World champion from Norway, has often spoken highly of him, and the Indian has scored some memorable wins against the all-time great over the last few years. Last week in Las Vegas, in fact, he beat Carlsen twice inside four days at the Freestyle Grand Slam. During the live stream of that event, Carlsen's wife Ella Victoria made an interesting remark while talking about Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun. 'Magnus did say that Pragg plays the most similar to him,' she said. High praise indeed.
