Murali stunned and speechless.

While managing the TNCA league team and
even his two decades of top level umpiring have been 'quiet' roles, his stint
as the man in charge of logistics made him a star where ever he went. He spent
a major part of the last decade going around with the who's who of Indian
cricket.

And later in the first half of this decade
with the who's who of the cricket match officials.

Very rarely has any logistics manager
received such glowing tributes. His role was even spoken about at ICC meetings
such was his efficiency in taking care of the players and the officials. Where
ever he went he was given a VIP treatment.

It takes a lot to gain the acceptance of
the players and officials. Murali was a player's favourite for he took care oftheir needs with utmost precision.

His unique distinction of being the only Indian
to play the role of the logistics manager for ICC match officials for such a
long period without a break is a tribute to the way he took care of the players
and officials.With Venkataraghavan making his foray into umpiring and with competition hotting up in the 1990s , Murali did not get to do as many international matches as he may have hoped for. Yet, for someone who had no inkling of getting into umpiring and who had spent his entire school and college life in the districts, it was a significant achievement to even get on the international stage. He used the limited First class and international exposure in umpiring to build a strong relationship with the