Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday became the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets, reaching the milestone in the last Test of his illustrious career.
The 38-year-old spin wizard got Indian tailender Pragyan Ojha caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene to reach the magical figure, which puts him several pedestals above his contemporaries.
The enigmatic off-spinner needed eight wickets going into the match and as he marched towards the mark, he was made to feel special by some emotional gestures along the way from both the Indian and Sri Lankan players.
He was given a guard of honour on the third day of the rain-hit match by both the teams and firecrackers were set off at the start of play everyday to celebrate his achievement.
His entire family turned to watch him get to the record on the final day and no less then President Mahinda Rajapakse flew in to congratulate him.
Rajapakse, who met players from both the Indian and Sri Lankan teams, presented a special memento to Muralitharan to show his admiration for the iconic cricketer.
Australian leg spinner Shane Warne is the second highest wicket-taker in the top-10 list with 708 scalps but now that he has retired, Muralitharan's record would be unmatched for a long time to come.
Dear Muttiah muralitharan sir, you have my congratulations.
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