<p>Muttiah Muralitharan is four days shy of his 40th birthday, but the magic in his fingers has still not waned. The Delhi Daredevils learned that the hard way on a hot Saturday evening in Bangalore. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The legendary Lankan offie, who was on his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore, grabbed three Daredevils wickets -- Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha and Glenn Maxwell -- to tie down the Delhi batsmen in an exemplary spell. <br /><br />His fabled spin wasn’t on view as much on the day -- in no way did that reduce the sorcery of his craft -- but his accuracy and variations, including a couple of those much-dreaded ‘doosras’, were too much for the unsuspecting Delhi batsmen, who might have hoped for a less intense effort from the master. <br /><br />Man of the match and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers, who had the best seat in the stadium to watch the mystic art of Muralitharan unfold, was humbled. “He’s a legend of the game, he’s a wicket taker. His wickets shifted the momentum, and that’s exactly what he’s there for. The man of the match should’ve gone to Murali,” said de Villiers. <br /><br />The South African rated the chance to keep wickets for Muralitharan as a dream come true for him. “This was the first time I kept to Murali. It’s a dream come true. I was worried about not being able to read him but I managed it. Keeping to him is probably easier than batting against him. When I used to play against him, I felt he could get me out any time,” said de Villiers. <br /><br />The value of Muralitharan’s performance on the day was increased manifold because it came on a wicket that did not have much for the bowlers, apart from the hint of double pace. “Actually, the wicket turned out a pretty good one despite the ball coming on to the bat a bit slow,” said Doug Bracewell, who grabbed three wickets for Daredevils. <br /><br />A few days back, Royal Challengers skipper Daniel Vettori said Muralitharan would be fighting for a spot in the side with Dirk Nannes and some other imported players as a franchise can only field four foreign players in the eleven. But now, the Kiwi would certainly be rethinking his strategies.</p>
<p>Muttiah Muralitharan is four days shy of his 40th birthday, but the magic in his fingers has still not waned. The Delhi Daredevils learned that the hard way on a hot Saturday evening in Bangalore. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The legendary Lankan offie, who was on his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore, grabbed three Daredevils wickets -- Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha and Glenn Maxwell -- to tie down the Delhi batsmen in an exemplary spell. <br /><br />His fabled spin wasn’t on view as much on the day -- in no way did that reduce the sorcery of his craft -- but his accuracy and variations, including a couple of those much-dreaded ‘doosras’, were too much for the unsuspecting Delhi batsmen, who might have hoped for a less intense effort from the master. <br /><br />Man of the match and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers, who had the best seat in the stadium to watch the mystic art of Muralitharan unfold, was humbled. “He’s a legend of the game, he’s a wicket taker. His wickets shifted the momentum, and that’s exactly what he’s there for. The man of the match should’ve gone to Murali,” said de Villiers. <br /><br />The South African rated the chance to keep wickets for Muralitharan as a dream come true for him. “This was the first time I kept to Murali. It’s a dream come true. I was worried about not being able to read him but I managed it. Keeping to him is probably easier than batting against him. When I used to play against him, I felt he could get me out any time,” said de Villiers. <br /><br />The value of Muralitharan’s performance on the day was increased manifold because it came on a wicket that did not have much for the bowlers, apart from the hint of double pace. “Actually, the wicket turned out a pretty good one despite the ball coming on to the bat a bit slow,” said Doug Bracewell, who grabbed three wickets for Daredevils. <br /><br />A few days back, Royal Challengers skipper Daniel Vettori said Muralitharan would be fighting for a spot in the side with Dirk Nannes and some other imported players as a franchise can only field four foreign players in the eleven. But now, the Kiwi would certainly be rethinking his strategies.</p>
