New Delhi: Former India spinners EAS Prasanna and Maninder Singh on Wednesday counter-attacked Muttiah Muralitharan saying that the ICC had bent the rules for him after the legendary spinner trained his guns on Bishan Singh Bedi calling him an “ordinary” bowler and one who had not contributed anything to the game.
Prasanna, who was Bedi’s team-mate, told CNN-IBN: "Looking at one side of the coin, he has been cleared and what not. The fact of the matter still remains that the ICC has bent the rule for him." Continue reading below
"He (Murali) does not fit into the bloc of conventional bowling. Now they (ICC) have allowed people to take advantage of 15 degrees. Therefore, it is okay," he added.
Prasanna labeled Murali’s comments as "loose" and "uncalled for" and said that Murali "shouldn't have reacted at all".
The former Indian offie paid glowing tributes to the former India captain calling him “one of the greatest left-arm spinners this game has ever seen”.
"India is lucky to have had Bishan Singh Bedi bowl for India," he added.
Prasanna, who was part of the famed spin quartet in the 1970s, had a word of advice for Murali saying had "I taken 800 wickets, I would have been happy about the effort. So Murali should have looked at it that way."
Maninder Singh went all guns blazing against Muralitharan’s comments saying that he had lost respect for the Lankan bowler.
"If Bedi was allowed to bend his arm, he would have had five-wicket hauls in 67 Test matches that he has played. So Murali, I think, should keep his mouth shut really.
"He had the license from the ICC to keep chucking and that is why he started his ‘doosra’ as well and he knew now no one could stop him. So the rate of wickets started increasing and that's why he has got so many wickets," he said.
"Talking about such a great bowler as Bishan Singh Bedi, I don’t think Murali is doing justice to himself.
"I have also said that Murali is mentally so strong that after being criticized about his action he has taken so many wickets but I think I have lost respect for him," Maninder added.
Noted cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle also thought that Murali "has got it desperately wrong when he calls Bedi an ordinary bowler".
"You may not like someone but that doesn't make a legend bad," Bhogle said on social networking site Twitter.
"By Murali's reasoning anyone who gets only "200" is no big deal. Were Mikey Holding and Andy Roberts ordinary bowlers? Pity.
"Doesn't make Murali a lesser bowler but am surprised at his outburst. Unlike the person I know. Anyway, guess each entitled to his view!," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, former Australian skipper Steve Waugh has defended Murali's outburst of having called Bedi an "ordinary" spinner, who had not right to comment on him.
"Muralitharan has been right in hitting back at Bishan Singh Bedi," Waugh said, adding "Bedi has been criticising Murali for a long time, so it is only justified."
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