Nathan Lyon 'not good enough' to break my 800 Test wickets record: Muttiah Muralitharan

Spin bowling legend Muttiah Muralitharan had some tough predictions for the GOAT of Australian spin, Nathan Lyon as the latter went into his record 100th Test on Friday. At the end of a storied and sometimes controversial career that saw him attract a lot of attention for his unorthodox bowling action, Muralitharan had set himself up as one of the icons of spin bowling. Even at a time when there was no dearth of quality spinners - re: Shane Warne and Anil Kumble among others - Muralitharan's record of 800 Test wickets remained unsurpassed, and the Sri Lankan great doesn't think any from the current crop will get close to that mark anytime soon.

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Muralitharan predicts: R Ashwin will outdo Nathan Lyon; get close to 800 record

Making his Test debut as a 20-year-old in 1992, Muttiah Muralitharan may never have dreamt of the heights he would scale in Test cricket. With 792 wickets after 18 years of playing, Muttiah Muralitharan chipped down the Indian batting lineup one by one, taking exactly 8 wickets in his last Test match. This record of 800 wickets - a mythical figure for any spinner - has never come close to being breached, with Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) next in line. Asked about who, if anyone, will ever better this record the Sri Lankan legend pointed to one man who has been in the news quite a lot this last week.

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“R Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler. Other than that, I don’t think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800", Muralitharan was quoted as saying in a Michael Vaughan column for The Telegraph. "Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 (396) but he has had to play many, many matches to get there," he added, singling out two of the best spinners in the game right now. While Aswin has a brilliant 377 wickets from just 74 Tests, the more experienced Lyon has 396 wickets from 99 matches. At 34 and 33 years old respectively, both Ashwin and Lyon have just a few years left to cross the 800-wicket mark. 

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India vs Australia 4th Test: Nathan Lyon 100 Tests

With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series level at 1-1, India and Australia have taken the fight to the deciding venue - the Gabba. After his heroics in the last game earned India a draw, Ashwin has been ruled out of the last match - leaving India's fates in the inexperienced but capable hands of Washington Sundar. Lyon meanwhile, will hope to complete his 400 before the match ends on Tuesday. Fans can watch Lyon take a shot at this milestone with the India vs Australia live telecast on Sony Sports and India vs Australia live streaming on the SonyLIV app and website.

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Image Credits: AP