Muttiah Muralitharan during practice in Dambulla yesterday. PIC/AFP

Just three wickets short of the world record, Sri Lanka off-spinner will be fired up to make his assault against India in the ODI series opener at Dambulla today

Muttiah Muralitharan has such a beguiling smile you would think that the Sri Lanka off-spinner is suggesting he wants to be your friend than be seen as a lethal bowling assassin. Now the focus is again on the man with the doosra and other fancy tricks, along with his trademark floppy hat, and on the verge of breaking another world record when Sri Lanka meet India in the opening game of the five-match Wealthsurance Cup here at Rangiri Stadium in the heart of the island's cultural triangle.

Murali is now only three wickets short of overhauling Wasim Akram's limited overs international record total of 502. As it is he already has most Test wickets in the history of the longer game which means overhauling the great Pakistan swing bowler at the top of the list is going to be a remarkable achievement.

Just how many wickets he takes at the ODI level depends on his consistency and form as well as being injury free during the remaining years he has as a player. Now 36, he has confirmed his retirement once the next World Cup ends in a couple of years.

Team goal
"I am still enjoying the challenge of helping my team win games, and taking wickets towards that cause is always important as it is part of the team effort," he said here. "But you do not go into a game thinking, 'Today, I am going to break a record'. It is not the way it is done.

"It is a team game and because of this I fit my role into the needs of the team," he added before being whisked away from the nets.

Yet India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, when paying tribute to the 'Murali factor' and the focus on the chances of his going ahead of Akram, did not overlook their general gameplans.

Pace heavy
For a start, India are likely to go with four seam and swing bowlers, for as Dhoni remarked, there is a lot of wind off the lake next to the venue and chances are that the final team will be named shortly before the game. He is also mindful of how he misread the pitch conditions in the first game last August and lost that game by eight wickets.

"We will adjust our bowling plans accordingly. Winning the toss is so important here," Dhoni said.

Muttiah Muralitharan during practice in Dambulla yesterday. PIC/AFP