Cricket: We will truly miss Murali in the dressing room says Mahela

As smiling assassin Muttiah Muralitharan gears up to play his last ODI, Mahela Jayawardene reveals some real funny aspects about the spin-legend.

The ICC World Cup 2011 final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday in Mumbai will be special for more reasons than one. Apart from this being the first time that the two Asian teams are meeting in the final of this mega-event, spin-legend Muttiah Muralitharan will be appearing in Lankan colours for one final time.

Ahead of the epic battle on April 2, Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss and classy middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene paid glowing tributes to the spin-legend during an interaction with reporters on Thursday at the Wankhede stadium.

"Muralitharan is a very down to earth character and always willing to listen to others. He is a lot of fun in the dressing room. He gives everyone in the team a laugh sometimes even at his own expense. His standing within Lankan cricket is just unbelievable. I think he is pretty close to being the best cricketer that Sri Lanka have ever produced," said Bayliss.

Speaking about the smiling-assassin, Jayawardene mentioned that the friendly nature of Muralitharan is something seen very rarely in the competitive nature of modern-day international cricket. "Apart from his on-field achievement, I also admire Murali for his friendly nature off the field. When I joined the Sri Lankan team for the first time, he was the one who took me out for a meal. I didn't even know him then. Murali continues to do that even today for the latest newcomer in the squad. That is Muralitharan for you!"

He added, "At times Murali's over-friendly nature can also be annoying since he befriends the members of the opponent team as well. He likes having a chat with them. The character of the man is such that at times, he considers himself a better batsman than even Sachin Tendulkar." Understandably this statement drew a lot of chuckles from the journalists.

After the batting antics of West Indian legendary pacer Courtney Walsh, it is Muralitharan who has entertained crowds all over the world with his unorthodox batting skills.

Continuing in the same vein, Jayawardene further mentioned, "We will truly miss Muralitharan when he says goodbye. Over the years he has been one of those guys who have kept everyone's spirits high in the dressing room even when the chips were down."

Rest assured, Kumar Sangakkara and company will try their level best on Saturday to send off Muralitharan on a winning note.