If there is a truly memorable moment in VVS Laxman’s glittering career then it is not the magnificent 281 against Australia in that Test match in Kolkata in 2001 or even the 167 against Australia in Sydney in 1999. It was when India was playing — who else but Australia? — in 2010 at Mohali. India, chasing a modest target of 216, had collapsed to 124/8 but Laxman had an 81-run partnership with Ishant Sharma. At 205/9, Pragyan Ojha came in and denied Laxman a single which caused the genial Hyderabadi to lose his cool. It showed that even though he might not indulge in sledging or give outrageous statements to the media, Laxman’s will to win was second to none.
Laxman has always been calmness personified and was often termed laid-back — at least early in his career. “He has always been like that,” recalls Arshad Ayub, Laxman’s former team-mate from his Ranji Trophy days. “Fiercely competitive yet never shows his emotions on the field,” says Ayub. “He is one of the most determined cricketers I have ever played with.”
Perhaps that is why among his peers like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, it is Laxman who has played some of the most important innings for India. He might have scored “only” 17 Test hundreds but seven of them have been in a winning cause. Take, the unforgettable 281 against Australia, the unbeaten 143 against South Africa at Eden Gardens in 2010 or the 103 against Sri Lanka in the fourth innings in Colombo in 2010. There have been other crucial innings as well which have saved India from certain defeat or taken the team to a win. Like the 73 not out against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006 which led India to its first-ever Test win in South Africa. Or the 79 not out at WACA in Perth on the 2008 tour to Australia resulting in another victory for India.
Tendulkar, on the other hand, has scored 19 of his 51 Test hundreds in a winning cause. Laxman has an average of 45.97, Tendulkar 55.45, Dravid 52.31, Sehwag 50.71 and Ganguly 42.31. Statistically, he might not be India’s best performer but when it comes to delivering when it matters, Laxman is on top of the list. “He gets a lot of criticism for not scoring as many hundreds as Tendulkar or Dravid but his contribution to Indian cricket has been exemplary,” says Syed Kirmani, former Indian wicket-keeper.
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Laxman made his debut for India in 1996 versus South Africa as an opener. For the first five years of his career he never got a settled position in the batting line-up and remained a peripheral figure. “He was a giant when it came to scoring runs in domestic cricket yet somehow failed to translate it on the international stage,” recalls Ayub. A quiet and reserved man, Laxman let his bat do the talking.
Laxman makes batting look easy with deft wristy shots, cuts and drives. Critics may carp about his technique, but when you’re blessed with so much natural talent, says Kirmani, such things aren’t a deterrent. “His strokeplay against fast bowling is a treat to watch,” adds Kirmani.
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Aakash Chopra, who has played with Laxman for India, says that he is a calming influence on others as well. “On the 2003-04 tour to Australia, he was the only batsman the Australians were really scared of,” he recalls. Perhaps that’s what prompted Brett Lee to come up with this quote: “If you get Dravid out, great. If you get Tendulkar out, brilliant. If you get Laxman out, it’s a miracle”.
Laxman has never been popular with advertisers as many believe he is just too much into cricket and doesn’t want unnecessary publicity. He doesn’t have “star power” says the head of a celebrity management company. Nevertheless, Laxman has done a few commercials for Anchor, Pepsi and TVS. “Laxman is someone who lacks the charisma of, say, a Dhoni or a Sehwag when it comes to endorsements,” says Latika Khaneja, CEO, Collage Sports Management. But that’s just off the field, says Khaneja, who believes he is one of the finest Indian batsmen ever.
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Laxman never cemented his place in the shorter format of the game, which led him to be branded a Test specialist. He has played only 86 ODIs for India and scored 2,338 runs at an average of 30, certainly not worthy of a batsman of his calibre. But Kirmani feels that Laxman was never suited for limited-overs cricket. “He has never been a great runner between the wickets and never scored at a brisk pace,” he says. Even though Laxman is a great slip fielder (135 catches in 134 Test matches), his fielding was always under the scanner in ODIs. He last played an ODI for India in 2006 and was even dropped for the 2003 World Cup — when he was in excellent nick with the bat.
Laxman has come in for fierce criticism in the aftermath of the disastrous series against Australia. It was supposed to be his swansong against a team he loves to pelt. In 29 Tests against Australia he has scored almost 3,000 runs — including six hundreds and 12 half centuries — at an average of 50. It is ironic that calls for dropping him or advising him to retire have grown louder after a poor show with the bat Down Under.
Ayub feels that Laxman is far from finished. “He is just having a poor run of form. It is sad that every time there’s a young kid on the block, it is Laxman whose place comes under threat.” Maybe his reflexes have become slow over time. The next Test series is eight months away, a long time in Indian cricket, especially for someone on the wrong side of the 30s. For all of Laxman’s heroics in the last 15 years, it will be sad if this is the end of his career. An artist like Laxman deserves to display his fine strokes one more time. Will the selectors give him that chance in September?