espnstar.com’s Rajarshi Gupta caught up with Muttiah Muralitharan, who says match situations separate the best from the rest.

Closing in on 800 Test wickets, the wily off-spinner from Kandy in the Emerald Isles dismisses any suggestions of the Indian Premier League exposing international skill sets of players across franchises.

"I don't see that happening at all," Murali said when this correspondent asked him if he was concerned that MS Dhoni (his Chennai Super Kings captain) would have picked up a lot of his guiles, having stood behind the stumps for two seasons.

"Look, Dhoni is a great player and he can pick me up and play me in any case. You just need to bowl four overs in a Twenty20 game but that is not enough to know what I deliver.

I have taken nearly 800 Test wickets now and batsmen are worried about getting out to me. They are always under pressure when I have the ball in my hands."

Known for his quick wits, the son of a hill-country confectioner rubbed it in further, when he said in jest: "If I bowl to my team-mates at the nets, most of them will clobber me for sixes and fours but when they need to face me in a match situation, I don't think a lot of them can still do that."

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Murali is convinced the IPL has not ruined international team secrets. "It hasn't hampered team secrets at all. I think the IPL has done more good for players than otherwise."

Muralitharan, perhaps the greatest cricketer Sri Lanka have ever produced, opined Sachin Tendulkar was better than Brian Lara, who had heaped more than 700 runs against his team in a home series years ago.

"Lara was a fine batsman but Tendulkar is technically solid and a treat to watch. In fact, I think he can come in and get runs even when he is 44. He is so strong with his basics.

There can never be another Sachin Tendulkar. I am convinced of that."

Perhaps not. But there might not be another Muttiah Muralitharan too. This is the last time India will see the greatest off-spinner to ever play the game turn up for his national team in Tests in the country.

It is time to savour all of his skills and charisma that shaped a glorious era of cricket in the sub-continent.

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