Harbhajan rates Muralitharan as bigger threat than Mendis

New Delhi, Jul 17 (UNI) Despite all the hype surrounding new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis, controversial off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is more concerned about the threat posed by Muttiah Muralitharan.

''Muralitharan will pose a bigger challenge,'' Harbhajan told ESPN. ''He will do well in the series and not Mendis.'' ''You cannot compare Murali and Mendis. Murali has been doing it for years, while Mendis has just started,'' he added.

The off-spinner however, admitted that he admired the variation in Mendis' bowling.

''It was a treat to watch Mendis bowl during the Asia Cup final,'' he gushed. ''The deliveries with which he got Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and even RP Singh were outstanding.

''I have seen people doing this with a tennis ball but it is incredible that he managed it with a cricket ball. There is so much to learn from Mendis.'' Harbhajan, who missed most of the IPL, the tri-nation series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan due to his recent ban, claimed that he was looking forward to the series in Sri Lanka.

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