OTD | Muthiah Muralidharan’s 7/30 helped Sri Lanka beat India in their Champions Trophy clash in 2000

Muthiah Muralidharan is one of the most prominent cricketers in the history of the game. Nobody can compete with him in the spin department as he was the best for a long time. He has played long enough to participate in the IPL as well. 

During his initial days, he was on fire and when he started getting the rythm, he was unstoppable. In 2000, Sri Lanka thrashed India by 68 runs in the Champions Trophy tournament which was quite disappointing for the Indian fans. However, the main reason behind this win was Muralidharan as he claimed seven wickets and conceded just 30 runs. 

He was magnificent throughout the innings as he went on to bowl some great deliveries which confused the batters. Muralidharan dismissed some of the best batters in the team and didn’t allow them to settle down. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 294 runs thanks to Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Atapattu’s century. While Jayawardene scored 128 runs off 123 balls, Atapattu scored 102 runs off 111 balls. 

The difference between these batters was that Jayawardene played a quick knock hitting 15 boundaries while Atapattu hit only five boundaries. However, both of them made sure that Sri Lanka the victory belonged to Sri Lanka because of their performances. For India, only Ajith Agarkar claimed three wickets. 

When India came to bat, Muralidharan made sure to give the space to the batters where they can hit and settle down. Despite some brilliant bowling, Sachin Tendulkar went on the slam a had century as he scored 61 runs off 54 balls. India were all out on just 226 runs, losing the game. Muralitharan got Player of the Match award for his heroics.

Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.

For more exclusive updates Visit BJSports to access Exclusive News that is only for you, incisive analysis, and updates, and to keep up with all of the latest information on your remarkable cricket favorite players and teams. To ensure you never miss out, join in on the fun right away!