Muralidharan

Chennai: Muttiah Muralidharan is set to tie the knot with Madhimalar, a city-based executive. The marriage will be held here on March 21.

The wedding was arranged between the parents of the families here during the first week of December. In fact, Murali accompanied by his mother visited Madhimalar?s house before giving the final approval.

The proposal initially came from a common friend of the families.

?I am very excited,? said the 24-year-old Tamil girl, one of the directors of the well-known Malar Hospitals in Chennai. Madhimalar is the daughter of the late Dr S. Ramamurthy, who started the hospital.

Madhimalar, who is an avid cricket lover, said: ?I am really happy? Murali is a very humble person. He visited us during the first week of December with his mother, who expressed happiness to have me as her daughter-in-law. Soon, Murali offered a ring to me.

?It all happened in a jiffy,? said Madhimalar.

The common friend who set the wheels moving and arranged for the two families to meet after the horoscopes had matched was the Tamil film actor Chandrasekhar, she said.

Murali, whose parents hail from Trichy, is a regular visitor to Chennai. The family has a hotel business in Trichy besides the confectionery factory in Sri Lanka.

Since making his debut for Sri Lanka at 20 years and 133 days, Murali has claimed 532 wickets in 91 Tests at an average of 22.86, the best figures being nine for 51 against Zimbabwe in Kandy during 2001-02. He is also an ambassador of peace of the United Nations.

Incidentally, Indian tennis ace Vijay Amritraj, also an ambassador of peace of the United Nations, had married Sharada, a Sri Lankan.