WATCH: Son of Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan follows father’s footsteps; copies his action

It’s been nearly a decade since Muttiah Muralitharan last turned up for Sri Lanka, but the spin bowling legend is still fondly remembered among fans and experts for his stellar exploits at the international stage.

Muralitharan is one of the most lethal spinners to have played international cricket. From his debut at the highest level back in 1992 till his last game in 2011, Muralitharan played 133 Tests, 350 ODIs and 12 T20Is and took well over 1,000 wickets at the highest level.

Muttiah Muralitharan bagged a record 800 wickets in Test cricket at an average of only 22.72, backed up by a whopping 534 scalps in ODIs at 23.08. He also contributed 13 wickets in his limited T20I outings for Sri Lanka while conceding just 6.31 runs per over.

Muralitharan’s success wasn’t limited to just the spin-friendly surfaces back home, he was quite a dominating force even away from Sri Lanka. A smiling assassin, Murali weaved his magic around batsmen and left them puzzled with his prodigious spin and ability to deliver an indecipherable doosra.

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Muttiah Muralitharan took over 1,300 international wickets for Sri Lanka.

Son Naren adopts the father Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action

There were hiccups along the way, especially when the legality of his uniquely-built bowling action was questioned. But Muralitharan overcame those with a strong temperament and the innate desire to continue representing his country and taking a bagful of wickets next to his name.

Post his retirement, Muttiah Muralitharan has forayed into coaching and is part of the support staff for popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, who won the championship back in 2016.

One of the most amusing characters of the game, Muralitharan has never failed to offer a cheeky smile on his face. And today, he has one more reason to carry a glint in his eye as his son Naren Muralitharan is following his footsteps and is growing as an off-spinner himself.

Naren, in fact, has a pretty similar action to his father, something that came to light recently when Muralitharan shared a video of him and his son bowling together in the nets over Twitter on Thursday (July 15).

In the video, one can see how heavily inspired Naren has been seeing his father play over the years. The young gun has the same approach to the crease, mirrors his father’s rotation of the arms and imparts same amount of revs on the ball as it rolls out of his hands.

Father and Son Time! Video credits @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/Jv8fYOAZcp

— Muthiah Muralidaran (@Murali_800) July 15, 2021