Muttiah Muralitharan, the controversial wizard of spin, regarded as one of the greatest the game has produced, has won a maiden to share his life. She is the beautiful Mabimalar Ramamurthy, the 24-yea old MBA graduate from Chennai, India. She is a director of a city- based private hospital owned by her father, the late Dr. Ramamurthy, also a keen cricket fan. A lass with a magical smile, which blends with that of the great turner of the ball, who is all smiles on and off the field. If there is a serious look on his face, it is when he drops the cherry at the batsmen’s end.

The good news of his intended marriage, on March 21, 2005, came in the wake of the ICC decision to adopt the controversial 15 degree arm extension rule with effect from March 1, 2005, giving him the green light to go ahead with his deadly doosra, which baffled the best of batsmen.

Bride-to-be has brought him a world of luck, on the eve of their marriage. The one time champion wicket-taker in Test cricket gave way to brilliant leg spinner Shane Warne, who is the proud owner of the record today. It will not be long before Murali regains the crown; it’s just a matter of time. Murali’s rise to fame was not a bed of roses; it turned out to be a nightmare in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, when before a capacity crowd of 50,000 spectators on Boxing Day, Darrel. Hair, the umpire dropped a bombshell, when he no-balled him seven times. That’s history. The Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, who led the Sri Lankan team to win the 1996 World Cup, stood by him and also the other team-mates.

In spite of all the humiliation, Murali never lost heart as he was a man made of sterner stuff. He had the courage of his convictions to hold on as he was confident that time will prove he was right.

Today it’s a reality. He has silenced his critics and has had the last laugh.