Mumbai: Sri Lanka are backing Muttiah Muralitharan to strike in the third and final test against India starting on Wednesday in the master spinner's final overseas test.
Muralitharan, the world record holder for most wickets in test and one-day cricket, will retire from the test format next year. The tourists hope off-spinner Muralitharan will help them record their first test win on Indian soil to square the series.
The 37-year-old had a rough time in the first two tests, managing just five wickets at the cost of 396 runs on unhelpful pitches on his fourth tour of India.
Sri Lanka lost last week's second test in Kanpur by an innings and 144 runs, falling behind in the series 1-0 after a high-scoring first test ended in a draw in Ahmedabad.
Being No.1 will be an added responsibility: Dhoni
"He's still our best spinner and he still might be the best spinner in the world. When you have that quality in the side you have to back that quality, that ability. It's no different for tomorrow."
India are currently third in the world rankings behind South Africa (first) and Sri Lanka (second) but are close enough to leapfrog them both into top spot for the first time with a victory in Mumbai.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni played down the significance of the milestone, saying that talking about it would affect the team's approach.
"Winning the series is important, and at the end of the day it will reflect on the rankings," he told reporters.
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"We are not thinking of the rankings because you don't really want to play under pressure, you want to play your natural game."
India's chances of beating the Sri Lankans have suffered a blow with in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, the world's top-ranked batsman, pulling out of the match to attend his sister's wedding.
The left-hander scored centuries in each of the first two tests and shared a 233-run opening stand with Virender Sehwag in Kanpur.
Murali Vijay, an exciting but relatively inexperienced batsman who played his only test against Australia last year, will replace him.
The match will be played at the Brabourne Stadium for the first time in 36 years as the regular venue, Wankhede Stadium, is under renovation for the 2011 World Cup.
