"Sachin Tendulkar Was A Genius From Day One," Says Muttiah Muralitharan

Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has said that Sachin Tendulkar was a "genius from day one" and no cricketer can be like the Indian batting maestro. Muralitharan, who has the highest number of wickets in international cricket, told ANI in an interview that the upcoming biopic ‘800' is not only about his cricket but also about what happened beyond the game. The bowling legend talked about his cricketing duels with Sachin on the pitch and how he wished that the Indian batter got out quickly.

"No cricketer can ever be like Sachin. Because at 14 years of age, he got a first-class hundred, at 16 years of age he represented the country, and at the age of 17, he got a century for them. That is impossible."

Muralitharan, who retired from international Test cricket in 2010, said he played under seven captains.

"See, I know my skill. I also know what he (Sachin) will try to do. It is a guess game, like a chess game. You pray that he gets out as quickly as possible. I have played under seven captains in 20 years. I will recall an incident from 2007. We (Sri Lanka), Bermuda, Bangladesh and India were in the same group (in 2007 50-over World Cup). Only two teams could go further. We were playing India. We thought Sachin was going to open in the tournament, but thank god, he batted at number four. When Dilhara Fernando got his wicket, India lost while chasing 255," he said.

"In the 1996 World Cup, the wicket used to turn a lot. When Sachin was batting (in the semis chasing 252), India was 70/1. It looked like a batting wicket. But (after) he got out, India  (team was reduced to) 120/7. He makes things easier than others, he plays like that. For us, getting him out was more important. When he got out, the hopes of the entire