finel

Fitting Finale: Sachin Tendulkar
vs Muttiah Muralitharan

MUMBAI: It may
not provide the
pure thrill of an
India-Australia
encounter; it may
not offer the
political drama of
an India-Pakistan
clash either. Yet,
this India-Sri
Lanka final has
something that
makes it even
more engrossing.
A straight contest
between the
world's best
batsman and best
bowler of all time:
Sachin Tendulkar
versus Muttiah Muralitharan.
18,093 runs against 534 wickets.
(And we are only talking one-
dayers here.) A maestro and a
magician on the game's biggest
stage.
Add the cauldron-like
atmosphere at the Wankhede
Stadium, and it promises to be a
match for the gods, a battle for
eternity. There's been some
concern whether Murali's aching
hamstring and dodgy knee will
allow him to play but given the
stage and the occasion, it's safe
to bet that if he can walk, he'll be
out there wheeling away.
There is also a twist to the
contest that makes it even more
gut-wrenching: it is the last
World Cup for both. Only one of
them will be going home with
the trophy; the other will go
away with a heavy heart and a
strange feeling of emptiness.
Sure, it may not hurt Murali as
much as it will Sachin: he has,
after all, already been part of one
Cup-winning side. He has also
often shown the ability to take
triumphs and tribulations alike in
his stride. The tsunami and
accompanying devastation back
home has clearly helped him see
life's bigger picture.
Sachin has probably not reached
that stage yet: winning the World
Cup has been a lifelong dream
for him. He wants it desperately
because that's the only thing
missing from his array of
exploits. If the hundredth ton
comes along with it, it would be
a fitting last chapter, to at least
his one-day career.
"It's the most important
tournament in my life," he had
said just before the tricky
quarterfinal against Australia;
they were the magic words that
made his mates in the team
wake up to the possibility of a
day without him. Since then,
Team India has been a
transformed side.
Murali does not believe in such
hyperbole: he makes his own
destiny. More importantly, he
makes his mates do the 'dirty
work' by unleashing his charm
offensive in the dressing room.
"We will really miss him," said
vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene.
"He keeps us laughing all the
time.
That itself is amazing if you
consider his long and
tumultuous journey, from a
maverick spinner who had to
bowl outside the leg-stump
simply to stop Tendulkar once, to
the world's greatest. He has been
in the midst of many storms, and
been the cause of quite a few
too, only to emerge with a smile.
It may just be a joke but Murali
apparently believes he is a better
bat than Sachin. That is what
makes this last battle so
delightful while being intriguing
too. In the 46 times that they
have crossed paths, however,
Murali has got him only five
times; Sachin has managed 8
hundreds and 12 fifties.
The numbers are evidently in
favour of Sachin. Murali, however,
will be backing himself this time,
even though his body is
battered; after all, Sachin did go
through a nightmare against the
two Pakistani off-spinners in the
semifinal.
Murali has much more variety,
much more control and much
more guile. He will lure Sachin
with his flight; he will trick him
with his turn and he will try to
mesmerize him with his big, big
eyes. If nothing works he will
ambush him with his doosras.
Sachin, though, will be
unperturbed for the most part; if
the ball doesn't stop or grip as it
did in Mohali, he won't even
worry. He will use his feet, soft
hands and firm pushes to
counter the magic. If the ball
comes on nicely to the bat, it will
transcend into a battle in the
minds. One legend against
another.
In the end, there will only be one
winner, only one golden sunset.