The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Murali is mentally strong, says brother

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Murali is mentally strong, says brother

By Sanjay Rajan

COLOMBO, JULY 19. Of Muttiah Muralitharan's three brothers, it is Prabhakaran's resemblance to the wizard off-spinner that is striking. The features and a similar kind of haircut; you just couldn't miss him, sitting a few rows below the press enclosure with the other brothers and friends during the India-Sri Lanka contest on Sunday.

"Yes, the first thing that people ask me is `well, are you Murali's brother?' It doesn't bog me down in the least because I'm proud of being Murali's brother and happy about what he has achieved," said the youngest of the four.

Don't kid yourself, it isn't easy being Murali's brother — especially if your features are a carbon copy — for, the joint-highest Test wicket-taker is not only the most recognisable face in the Emerald Isle, but also the country's favourite son.

In fact, when the ICC banned him from bowling his `doosra' recently, the cricket-loving people displayed their support for the much-maligned off-spinner by putting up banners all over the island with the words, `We stand in unity for Murali' written boldly.

One saw a few of the banners during the drive from Dambulla to Colombo on Monday. It even had an e-mail address that you can write to in support of the cricketer. The family doesn't allow the media glare, which has been part of Murali's cricketing career, to dictate their lives.

"We still do the things we like. Yes, there are non-stop requests to Murali for interviews, but that apart, life's just the same for him," said Prabhakaran.

Describing his eldest brother as `extremely friendly', Prabhakaran said, "He loves life, is extremely passionate about cricket and is equally focused about business."

Aside from the family business (they are the island's third largest biscuit manufacturers), the brothers have forayed into plastics. "Murali hardly talks about cricket at home. He's essentially a family man. Owing to his commitments, he now lives in Colombo and we in Kandy. He loves watching Tamil movies", says Prabhakaran. The family follows Murali's cricket. "If the match is in Kandy or nearby, the whole family goes to the ground. Mom (Lakshmi) makes it a point to be there. Otherwise, we watch it on TV."

All the brothers have played cricket at the schools level. Murali and the third brother Sashidharan went to St. Anthony's while Prabhakaran and Sridharan attended Trinity College, in Kandy. The annual cricket fixture between the two schools is a popular affair. "Oh, we had fun those days. Arguments, debates and all that," recalls Prabhakaran.

Schools cricket is the cradle of the sport in Sri Lanka. In fact, the fixture between Royal College and St. Thomas is one of the oldest annual schools cricket match in the world. Murali apart, Sridharan also has a deformed elbow, the crux of the debate regarding the legitimacy of Murali's action. On the turbulent times that Murali faced in Australia in 1995, Prabhakaran said, "It made him stronger. Murali became keener. He knew, and we all knew, that his action was not suspect. The ICC cleared him thereafter." About the current `doosra' issue, he said, "It has affected him. Knowing Murali, he'll tide over this too. He is mentally strong. He wants to play international cricket for six more years now. And I know he will."

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