Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman
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Farewell from international cricket
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
VVS Laxman quits, sparks controversy
Solomon S Kumar
Batting icon V V S Laxman surprised many by quitting international cricket with immediate effect. There were hints from sources that he was unsettled by recent articles by some former players questioning his continuation in the team. What was more surprising was his comment that he could not get in touch with skipper M S Dhoni to let him know of the decision. Following Laxman’s shock announcement, former captain Sourav Ganguly also came out blaming Dhoni and expressed surprise that the captain could not be reached. “It is unfortunate because I think a captain should be there for his players 24x7. It is quite obvious Laxman doesn’t enjoy his skipper’s support.”
Farewell from test cricket
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
THE TEST ENDS FOR LAXMAN
Sachin Tendulkar
I think VVS Laxman had a brilliant career. While outsiders know only VVS the player, the guys who played alongside him also know VVS the human being. He’s a brilliant person, very soft spoken, very dedicated, focused and determined.
If one has to speak of his talent, what can I say about those drives, those flicks. Half the world thinks he’s going to play a cover drive and he decides to play an on-drive. This is God’s gift to him and I have to say he’s managed to look after his gift rather well. He’s always respected the game and would not take anything for granted. That is so important to be a successful sportsman. I feel, on the whole, that he played some important innings at important stages for India. There is one aspect of his game that wasn’t discussed much and that was his catching ability. He had such beautiful hands and he was a very safe fielder. It’s going to be tough to replace him in the slip cordon, where we have lost Rahul (Dravid) too. They were a couple of all-time greats in that region and to replace them we are going to need someone to be there for an equally long period of time. But there are good catchers in the team and while it is going to be challenging to fill that gap, that is how the game has always moved forward. Surely we will find someone.
With VVS, it is definitely going to be difficult for us to not to have him in the team. His absence in the dressing room is going to be difficult to deal with and will take some getting used to. A special player will always be a special player and we will continue to think of him on every occasion.
I can definitely say I will miss him in the dressing room. I have had some wonderful partnerships with him and thoroughly enjoyed batting with him. He was someone who rotated strike well and played some great shots.
We spoke a lot about cricket; discussed the game quite a bit. It was fun to have him around and talk not just cricket but general stuff too. We shared jokes, laughed a lot together. I will cherish all those things. While he may not be around on the field, we are very good friends off it and we will continue to meet somewhere and that will be times to look forward to. The Indian team will certainly miss him.
(As told to Satish Viswanathan)
TESTS
The 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in March 2001 was the highest individual Test innings by an Indian at that time.
Hit 176 runs through boundaries (44 fours) during the same knock: the highest by a batsman against Australia in Tests.
Hit 85 fours in the same series in 2001, a record by any batsman in a three-Test series against Australia.
Averaged 209 in the three-Test series against Pakistan in 2007-08 at home
One of seven Indian batsmen to score 3,000-plus runs and average 50-plus at home
One of only four Indian batsmen to manage 5,000-plus runs away from home.
Aggregated 1,217 runs at an average of 110.63, including five hundreds and three fifties, in 10 Tests (15 innings) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Boasts 135 catches too, the second-highest by an Indian in Tests after Rahul Dravid’s 210.
Notched up some record partnerships like the 353 for the fourth wicket with Sachin Tendulkar against Australia at Sydney in Jan 2004; 376 for the fifth wicket with Rahul Dravid against Australia at Kolkata in March 2001 and 259 (unbroken) for the seventh wicket with MS Dhoni against South Africa in Kolkata in Feb 2010.
Bagged six Man of the Match awards: two each against Australia and the West Indies and one each against Sri Lanka and South Africa.
ODIs
Only Indian to register three hundreds in Australia: 131 against Zimbabwe at Adelaide on Jan 24, 2004; 106 not out against Australia in Sydney on Jan 22, 2004 and 103 not out against Australia in Brisbane on Jan 18, 2004. Put on 213 with Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket in Sydney in Jan 22, 2004, India’s highest partnership against Australia in ODIs. Got four Man of the Match awards — one each against Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. —Rajesh Kumar
Contribution
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
It is obvious that VVS does not enjoy Dhoni’s support
Sourav Ganguly
VVS Laxman’s decision to retire with immediate effect is a bold one. He has always served Indian cricket selflessly, and by quitting before the start of the forthcoming series against New Zealand, he quit on his own terms. I have always maintained that age does not matter, performance does. It was very uncharitable of the selectors to have picked him for just two Tests against New Zealand, making it look like his farewell series. It simply did not make any sense. He is a legend of the game and remain one. I see no method in the madness of our selectors, who have retained virtually the entire squad that flopped in England and Australia and asked questions only of Laxman. Clearly the message was lost in translation, if the selectors had tried to convey one in the first place. If I know Laxman, he must have been hurt by all this. The fact that Laxman had been training hard at the NCA showed that he was obviously preparing himself to play the whole season. That is how all top cricketers approach a new season. It was a tough decision for Laxman. Probably tougher than mine. Hats off to him. I heard Laxman saying at the press conference that he found it difficult to reach skipper MS Dhoni. It is unfortunate because I think a captain should always be available to his players 24x7. It is quite obvious that Laxman doesn’t enjoy his skipper’s support. I will remember Laxman as one of India’s finest batsmen and a fun-loving character. He and Zaheer are always pulling each other’s legs on fitness issues. He is also not the most organised player in the dressing room. He takes his own sweet time even while getting ready to bat. And in the middle, he bats at his own pace. But what a batsman! A superb timer of the ball, Laxman excelled in piercing the field with his wristy elegance. In many ways, Rahul Dravid, with whom Laxman shared many big partnerships, complemented each other. Throughout my Test career, we batted at No. 5 and No. 6 and it was good fun. (As told to Sumit Mukherjee)
‘DROPPING HIM FROM ‘03 WC SQUAD A MISTAKE’
Sourav Ganguly has now come on record as saying he believes dropping VVS Laxman from the 2003 World Cup squad was a mistake. “In hindsight, not having Laxman in our 2003 WC squad was a mistake.
While picking the squad, the onus was on having the right balance. Dinesh Mongia’s ability to chip in with a few overs tilted the scales in his favour,” Sourav told TOI. “Looking back, I do feel Laxman should have been picked.” TNN
