No Indian cricketer in the past 12 years has straddled Test cricket with such ease as VVS Laxman. The bigger the crisis, the bigger was the response from his blade.
And he accomplished his feats with such grace and finesse he made the toughest of challenges look simple. Modest to a fault, the only times he probably raised his voice was while appealing and responding to calls for a run.
Small wonder then that he was held in such high regard by his team-mates. The team’s cause always came first for Laxman, who managed to hold his ground in the presence of batting heavyweights, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly.
Strangely, he was always under scrutiny despite his regular back to the wall knocks. His batting positions were often shuffled which saw him play 16 Tests as opener , 23 Tests as No3, eight Tests as No4, 50 Tests as No5, 52 as No6 and nine Tests as No7.
The wristy wizard was the perfect backup whenever the superstars failed or were having a poor run. But true to his nature, he rarely made a fuss about it and carried on gamely. Even his decision to call it a day on the international stage was a selfless act.
He had been included in the squad for the New Zealand Test series scheduled to begin at his hometown Hyderabad from Thursday. But Laxman decided that his time was up and ensured there were no farewell dramas and quietly walked into the sunset.
It was Laxman’s epic 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens which laid the foundations for India’s most successful period in Test history. That knock gave the team the self-belief that they could take on the best and be successful.
It also marked the coming together of an absolutely gifted batting line-up that scripted many a Test victory away from home. Laxman was not an automatic choice for the 2001 home series against Australia but he barged his way into the side on the back of an extremely successful domestic season where he scored nine centuries in nine first class matches, including a triple hundred.
He soon showed his genius with a majestic 167 at Sydney, his first Test hundred. But it was his brilliance at Eden which paved the way for the legend of a Very Very Special player.
The situation when he walked in had defeat written all over it. Australia, having scaled a new high in Tests with their 16th successive win at Mumbai 10 days previously, were set to hand India another thrashing.
The visitors had raised 445 runs and had India on the rack by bundling them out for 171. But Laxman turned it around in the company of another legend-in-waiting, Dravid, which resulted in a sensational 171-run victory for India. It was India’s greatest fightback in Test history and the first time they had won after being asked to follow-on.
In 29 Tests against Australia he scored 2,432 runs, including six hundreds, at an average of 49.67. His decision to retire yesterday meant his career ended in Australia last January when India lost the series 0-4. Not the perfect ending, but a glittering career nonetheless.
* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.
