Muttiah Muralitharan’s wife talks about her loyalties in cricket

Muralitharan was statistically the most successful bowler in the history of cricket, finishing his career as the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket. He played his final Test at Galle against India in 2010 and finished the game by recording exactly 800 Test victims with five of them coming in his last bowling effort.

Murali married a Chennai born lady

Murali was married to Madhimalar, a Chennai born lady, in 2005. The couple was present to witness the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Galle, where Kohli’s men snubbed the hosts by a margin of 304 runs inside four days. Madhimalar suggested that she remains neutral whenever India and Sri Lanka are pitted against each other.

“I love India and Sri Lanka, and I am equally proud and happy to see them (India) win,” said Madhimalar. The couple has two children: A 10-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. Madhimalar revealed that their son has a fervent interest in cricket and is an avid supporter of the Sri Lankan team.

“Our son 10-year-old Naren is a huge Sri Lankan fan. He follows all matches and is very passionate about cricket”, she added.

It has been 12 years since the legendary Muralitharan tied the knot with Madhimalar. Then, his wife did not have any interest in cricket but that certainly seems to have changed over the years. She supported Muralitharan towards the last quarter of his iconic career before he called quits in the summer of 2010.

Murali’s coaching credentials

Murali, now, enjoys playing the role of a mentor or spin consultant in various T20 leagues. He is the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, a side which won the IPL in 2016. In the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League, Muralitharan is working as a mentor with Thiruvallur Veerans.

In a career that lasted for 18 years and was marred with a lot of controversies because of his unusual maverick bowling action, Murali went on to capture 1347 international wickets. He remained active in T20 cricket four years after his retirement but subsequently quitted in 2014 to concentrate on his coaching career.