Hail the immortal : Laxman is India's Greatest second inning player and the ultimate Oz Slayer

[jhakati]

As the saying goes' date=' Old habit die hard. VVS you're the fecking man and [b']whatever doubts I had earlier they're cleared. This man can actually score runs whilst on a stretcher, if the opponents are Aussies. :hail: IS too made up for tripe bowling in the first innings. Well done Instant karma :clap:

lol u actually had doubts bout laxman, thats funny.

[fineleg]

Laxman interview: On living under constant scrutiny, is he underrated, dedication to Sailaja, Commonwealth and Ozzies :-) V.V.S.Laxman, India’s hero on Tuesday, spoke to The Telegraph from Chandigarh a couple of hours after his 73 not out — yet another awesome effort — helped us pull off a truly memorable one-wicket win over Australia. Later, the 35-year-old veteran of 114 Tests left for New Delhi en route to hometown Hyderabad, where he’ll be spending around 24 hours before boarding a flight for Bangalore. The following are excerpts Q What’s the state of your back? A (Laughs) After the spasms, it’s still sore... I’m undergoing treatment... Let’s see. Are you going to be fit for the second and final Test, in Bangalore, from Saturday? I’m aiming to be fit... The support staff, too, is working towards that... The call will be taken in Bangalore. First thoughts after the winning runs... Can’t recall the first thoughts, but I became very emotional... Hugged Pragyan Ojha, hugged (runner Suresh) Raina... The match had become so close... One hit would’ve done it for us, whereas Australia needed one ball... After the win, we all felt taller, though. In a departure from your customary behaviour, you lost your cool when Ojha missed a run-taking opportunity. Was it because of the pressure? Look, I’d been planning a single on the penultimate ball of that (Ben Hilfenhaus) over, for I wanted to face (Mitchell) Johnson... That had been an important moment... Ojha, however, played well in those last few minutes. Frankly, how confident were you when Ishant Sharma walked in at the fall of the eighth wicket, on 124? Wasn’t thinking too far ahead, wasn’t really thinking of the target, 216... Ishant and I decided to set small goals, decided to look at building the partnership with 10-run bricks. Ishant again showed he’s no mug with the bat... I agree... Ishant’s contribution was immense... To have batted for close to two hours in a pressure situation is highly creditable... His innings of 31 will remain special. Eleven runs remained when Ishant got out. How did you calm yourself? At that stage, it was all about being sensible and taking as much of the strike as possible... As I had a runner, it was important to communicate well. Getting back to the morning, were you in considerable pain? I was, but once the body warmed up to the challenge, the pain receded in the background. I had to think of the country and the team, not of the back spasms. I’m happy I was able to contribute. The day’s most unforgettable moment... (Laughs) Those two legbyes which took us across the line. You were in acute discomfort in the last Test, too (at the P.Sara Oval, in Colombo)... That was almost two months ago. Surely, you must have worked on the back? Yes, indeed... I did focus on strengthening it... Spent close to two weeks at the National Cricket Academy (Bangalore) and even consulted a specialist in the UK... Are you dedicating this innings to somebody? My wife, Shailaja... I’d been quite down after the first innings, but she kept lifting my spirits. So, this one is for her. [shailaja was in Hyderabad, taking care of the two children — son Sarvajit and daughter Achinthya.] You don’t like rating performances, but the one on Tuesday has to be special (“remarkable” is how captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni put it). What’s your take? One of my best, definitely... Challenging situations bring the best out of me... Obviously, because of the circumstances, such performances get remembered. The ease with which you handle pressure is astonishing. What’s the secret? Don’t think there’s a secret... It’s just that right from my early days for Hyderabad, I’ve thrived on challenges... It’s in the tough situations that you get to see the best of me. Clearly, the Australians haven’t been able to work you out... Don’t know... But, yes, the satisfaction is a bit more when runs are got against the top teams. As part of the Fab Four, you were consistently underrated. Did you, too, feel that way? For me, nothing matters more than the respect of teammates... I’ve never been bothered with what others have thought about me... I know that my teammates respect me and, for me, that’s the ultimate. Your ‘I’ve had to live with constant scrutiny’ comment, in Colombo, continues to be talked about... But that’s the reality. One remarkable piece of stats is that your seond innings average (50.47) is actually higher than the first (45.67)... Have you been aware of this? No... Look, I don’t play for averages... Probably things have been more challenging in the second innings... It’s not that I intentionally set out to do better when we’re batting for the second time... I’d only say that the tough situations have got the best out of me. Finally... Are you following the Commonwealth Games? (Laughs) Yes... I’m happy that Gagan Narang and his partner, Abhinav Bindra, struck gold today... Gagan’s from Hyderabad, so I’m a little emotional about the achievement.

[EnterTheVoid]

Laxman's greatest innings, imo 1. vs Australia -- 2001 Eden Gardens Test 2. vs Australia -- 2003 Adelaide Test 3. vs Australia -- That 79 odd in the second innings in Perth 2008 4. vs Australia -- 2010 Mohali Test. ------- Four of India's GREATEST victories both home and away and he was involved in all of them. Saves his best for against Australia. Hoping he tours Australia next summer (Dec - Feb)

[ZodiaC]

Legend Hope he's alright for the 2nd test

[Chandan]

Laxman just too good: Ponting Daniel Brettig October 5, 2010 AAP Very Very Special Laxman has become a very very sickening sight for the Australian cricket team. By guiding India to victory over Australia in the first Test at Mohali, Laxman maintained a record, unsurpassed even by Sachin Tendulkar, of repeatedly fouling up Australian plans. Australian captain Ricky Ponting, generous in his praise for Laxman, could only smile ruefully about a man who, even with a bad back, completely flummoxed his attack. "Even with that (a bad back) today he showed what sort of class player he is, he played very well and got the tailenders to stick in there with him, and he had a knack of finding the boundary late in the innings," said Ponting. "He has been a bit of a thorn in our side, there's no doubt about that, I guess him and Sachin would be the two who've done the most damage over the years, a couple of guys who've played a lot against us and have got good records against us." Australia's inability to contain Laxman, particularly at home, has not been for a lack of trying. "We've analysed him inside out," said Ponting. "These wickets really suit his style of play and today he just hit the boundaries when he needed to." Ultimately, the best the Australians can hope for is that the back that seized up ahead of the first innings, forcing Laxman down to No. 10, does so again before for the second Test in Bangalore. Ponting was certainly hopeful, for there seems no other way to curb him. "I hope his back's pretty sore for next week as well and he can't play," quipped Ponting, perhaps only half-joking.

[Chandan]

The steel beneath the silk The splendour of his batting sometimes distracts Laxman's admirers from the mental strength that is such a big part of his game Sambit Bal October 6, 2010 A handsome certainness: Laxman pulled with ease, bad back and all Artists are usually loved, but in sport, particularly team sport, artistry can sometimes be regarded as an indulgence, and even as mildly frivolous. This conforms to the notion, often false, that pleasure givers are essentially pleasure seekers. Of course, no one has ever accused VVS Laxman of frivolity, but it is true that the beauty of his art often obscures the steel behind it. Yesterday he stroked 73 from 79 balls, and if one could separate the innings from the circumstances, it was a serenely majestic one, full of craft and silken shots. When Nathan Hauritz overpitched early in the innings, Laxman leaned forward to stroke it through cover, and when he pitched it fractionally short, he glided back to slap it past cover. The short ball, which had accounted for a few of his team-mates, didn't hustle him. One was top-edged over the keeper, but the others he pulled with handsome certainness: there were two men on the fence for the stroke and twice the ball went between them. It was as if Laxman was batting as he pleased. Yet it was not the ease and poise with which he batted but the circumstances he mastered that will grant this innings its greatness. That he watched Sachin Tendulkar perish trying to manufacture a stroke, endured the shambolic run-out of MS Dhoni, played for a large part of the innings hoping the No. 10 wouldn't let him down, and more than anything else, played with the knowledge that one false stroke would end the game for his team, while still managing to keep his wits and his game, points to a singularly exceptional feat. To bat at the international level takes considerable skill; to marshal the trickiest of fourth-innings chases in the company of the tail requires nerves of steel. That's a rare and priceless quality. The splendour and the gorgeousness of his batting sometimes distract Laxman's admirers from the mental strength that is such a big part of his game. It isn't a coincidence that he is part of a rare and small group of batsmen whose second-innings average is higher than their first. Numbers, of course, sell him short. A man of his talent and temperament should have more than 16 hundreds from 114 Tests. Alastair Cook has 13 from 60. Batting for a large part of his career at No. 6 - his preferred position, No. 3, has been inhabited by his friend and partner in many heroics, Rahul Dravid - hasn't helped. Laxman has learnt and adapted to batting with the tail, but his natural game is suited to batting at the top, when the bowlers have to set fields to get him out rather than offer him a single to get his partner on strike. But it will stand the scrutiny of time that not only have many of his runs come in tough situations but against the toughest opponents. No team has beaten Australia in more Tests than India since Laxman started playing, and to these nine wins, from Kolkata to Mumbai, Chennai to Mohali, Adelaide to Perth, Laxman has contributed over 1000 runs at 71.80. And only a Test ago he guided India to a series-levelling win in Colombo, with an assured hundred in the final innings of the match, a feat so rare that it has been achieved only 63 times in the history of the game, which spans 1972 Tests and features 3396 hundreds in all. It is rare for a reason: a chase in the final innings not only requires the batsman summon all his skills for the pitch on the final is at its most demanding but also the mental faculty to isolate his batting from the situation while being always aware that his is the wicket that could turn the game. I interviewed Laxman in his hotel room on the eve of his 100th Test, in Nagpur in 2008. He had friends waiting for him, but he was generous with his time. He was open and sincere and looked almost embarrassed when I asked him if he was aware of the effect he had on the viewer. The thing he was most proud of, he said, was his mental strength. "I am proud of my innings in pressure situations. I really relish pressure situations, when you have to bail the team out, and you can't do that if you are not mentally strong." The other thing I remember from the interview was how he spoke of the team's ambition to become No.1. The "contribution", he said, emphasising the word, was very important. The team was focused on being No. 1, he said, and as long as "I am contributing to that goal, I'll be more than happy". India went on to win that Test and with it the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Laxman contributed 64 in the first innings and featured in a 146-run fourth wicket partnership with Tendullkar after a mini-collapse during which India lost three wickets for 18 runs. And in Mohali yesterday, he ensured that India will retain the trophy. ESPNCricinfo announced its all-time India XI last month. Three of his batting partners - Tendulkar, Dravid and Sehwag - made it to the team. Laxman lost out to Vijay Hazare. But who knows what will happen if the exercise is repeated in a couple of years. Laxman still looks good to win India a few more Tests. For all the beautiful strokes he played at Mohali, the enduring image of Laxman from the Test will be him wildly admonishing Pragyan Ojha for not being alert to a single. If abusing your own team-mates was part of the ICC code of conduct, it could even earn him his first-ever summons to the match referee's chamber, for in one frame he appears to be threatening Ojha with bodily harm with a raised bat. It's a moment to savour: you might never see him this animated on a cricket field again. SOURCE

[vamos_rafa]

The genius and the doubter-Peter Roebuck

VVS Laxman has joined Brian Lara on the short list of modern batsmen whose mastery extends to fourth-innings chases and whose masterpieces include memorable innings played in precisely those circumstances. Where Lara wove spells, Laxman waxed lyrical. Some of the game's greatest batsmen have altered in this very position: a match to win or lose upon a stroke, a ground expectant, the bowlers and fieldsmen pressing with every fibre in their bodies. It is a cricketing form of high noon. Laxman's decisive contribution in Mohali deserves almost as much recognition as Lara's magnificent innings in Barbados all those years ago. As far as this correspondent is concerned, anyhow, that puts it in a category almost of its own. Not to say it was the greatest innings played. Probably it's not in the top 20 in recent times in that regard. After all, the pitch was still playing well, the bowling was handy as opposed to harmful, and it was neither an unusually long or exceptionally large innings. Its quality lay in its context; in isolation it was superb, in the circumstances it was magnificent. Lara's last-day effort was a lone hand played by a desperate captain trying to protect his position and rally his troops in about equal measure. It was a commanding display that gradually lured Bajans from their shops and offices, so that towards the end a carnival atmosphere prevailed. It was a virtuous innings by a remarkable cricketer, the sort of contribution India wants its champion to make more often. Control was the cornerstone of Lara's performance. His hands erupting onto the ball, his feet nimble in their quest for position, eyes darting for a gap, mind assessing every delivery, Lara sustained his team's hopes and crushed Australians' aspirations. Simply, he was in a class of his own. A mediocre team depended on him, and this time he responded. Beyond doubt it was a tour de force. Laxman's tone was slightly different. From afar he looked like an iceman, at any rate until he started waving his arms at and berating a partner unaware of his intentions in the matter of stolen singles. Suddenly Laxman's passions were obvious, his sense that the match hung upon a thread and that a little mistake, a moment of madness, an oversight, any of them could bring India down just as victory came within reach. If anything, his solitary outburst added to the quality of the performance. He knew the stakes well enough, and the dangers, and still he did not make a single mistake. Bear in mind, too, that Laxman was nursing an agitated back, which had prevented him batting properly in the first innings or without a runner in this dig. Indeed the Australians were not obliged to permit him an assistant. After all, he had ricked his back in the previous Test, in Sri Lanka. Ricky Ponting could have argued that he had brought the injury into the match, and the umpires could hardly have disagreed. But he did not stoop. By and large Australians don't try to stop the other team winning. From the moment he arrived at the crease, Laxman looked in charge of himself and the bowling. The Australians had managed to ruffle up a few of the other batsmen and later did the same to the tailenders. But Laxman is above all this nonsense about lifters; he regards them as long hops and smacks them to the boundary. Australians do not go on much about him because they don't have a clear idea of how to get him out. Virender Sehwag is vulnerable to lifters, they reckon, and Tendulkar can be trapped leg-before. Both have patchy records in the fourth innings. But Laxman? What on earth are Australians supposed to do with him? He looks and sometimes bats like a colossus. Indeed, cricket's most hostile opponents bring out the best in him. Laxman's game is built on superb strokeplay but his mind is replete with doubt. Against weaker opponents he potters around like a spinster in a cluttered home. He knows rivals can smash this sort of bowling about, but dares not take the same risk himself. He is a Prufrock worrying about his trousers. He becomes a hack, a humdrum batsman trying to boost his figures. As soon as Laxman starts to think about averages he becomes average. It is not his way, does not serve him well. And then the Australians arrive with their unrelenting aggression and withering tongues, or so legend insists. Suddenly Laxman is transformed, like a bird released from a cage. Now he is in his element. He knows the rest, the challengers, cannot cope. And so he started laying about himself with cultured and well-chosen strokes. In a trice the giant within is unleashed. Add the challenge of a fourth-innings chase and he becomes a truly great batsman. It is the final release. All inhibitions cast aside, the competitor and idealist come to the fore. At heart he is a musketeer. And so it proved in Mohali. Once the main batsmen had departed, Tendulkar to a foolish stroke, MS Dhoni in a chaotic run-out blamed upon Suresh Raina, a runner who seemed as dangerous to the Indian cause as any Australian bowler, Laxman took the match on his own shoulders. Throughout he organised the strategy. As usual in this situation, the fielding captain had pushed his men back for the main batsman, a tactic that works about as well as invading Russia or Afghanistan. Laxman was not encouraged to take risks and so waited for chances to drive, flick or pull boundaries, and otherwise stroke the ball around. Crucially he decided to take every run on offer, at any rate until Mitchell Johnson summoned a fierce spell with a dozen or so runs needed for victory. Laxman realised India could not win unless the tailenders played their parts, sensed he could not score all the 80 runs, could not do it alone. Trusting Ishant Sharma, another strong-minded cricketer with an excellent temperament, he took singles at the start of the over. Indeed, Ishant faced more deliveries in the partnership than Laxman. Since the field was up for him, he was also able to score his share of the required runs. Australia's tactics were questionable. Pushing the field back for Laxman meant that the runs kept flowing. Maiden overs were almost impossible. As a result the batsmen were never forced to press. If anything, the Australians over-attacked Ishant, allowing him to score soft runs. Several times Ishant was able to push Marcus North into the covers and take runs. North is a part-timer. Ponting did not prey enough on the batsmen's nerves. Admittedly he did not have a top-class spinner at his disposal, and towards the end he lost Doug Bollinger. Australia might hereafter be reluctant to allow players to take part in 20-over matches on another continent a few days before the start of a Test series. Laxman did not falter. Often the last few runs are the hardest to collect. Suddenly victory is in reach. Suddenly there is a match to lose, not win. Ishant's unlucky departure did not seem to worry Laxman. India almost paid a heavy price for their ridiculous refusal to use the UDRS. Apparently the senior batsmen object to it. Sehwag is the exception. It seems the rest don't like the UDRS telling them they are out. More fool them. Let them use their bats not their pads, let them think about the game and the umpires and fair play. Of course, the UDRS would certainly have overturned Billy Bowden's error in denying an lbw with the last pair at the crease. To make matters worse, four overthrows were given away in the same incident. Both umpires started the match very well and ended badly. It was hot and they were tired. All the more reason to give them a helping hand. Laxman was not to be denied. In full flight he is a hard man to stop. He stood at square leg as the appeal was turned down, stood again as the next ball flew from pad towards long leg, urged both partners to run, and raised his arms as, finally, the deed was done. It was a thrilling end to a tight match. India had found their champion. Laxman had confirmed his standing in the game. His career has been a compelling tale of greatness remaining locked away in the mind till the call comes and then emerging and laying waste before retreating back into its shell. As far as cricket is concerned Laxman is a warrior by instinct and a man of peace by manner. The conflict has made his career fascinating and frustrating. His genius is peculiar and requires the most particular conditions. His greatness lies in the fact that those conditions are the toughest not the easiest. He is an artist whose strength lies not in his artistry but in his competitive spirit.

[Roshanrocks]

His genius is peculiar and requires the most particular conditions. His greatness lies in the fact that those conditions are the toughest not the easiest. He is an artist whose strength lies not in his artistry but in his competitive spir

wot an incredible article.. the last line was the best though B->

[Sooda]

Nice article. I was kinda surprised that Hazare made it to the AT side ahead of Laxman.

[ravishingravi]

one of best articles I have read

[straight.drive]

Laxman's game is built on superb strokeplay but his mind is replete with doubt. Against weaker opponents he potters around like a spinster in a cluttered home

That's a very interesting comparision

[vamos_rafa]

A farcically partisan article. Takes an insidious dig at Sachin for not standing up in fourth innings and in the same breath puts Lara at par with Laxman. Fact is, Lara has fared worse than Sachin when it comes to 4th innings record.

That's exactly what I felt. People have preconceived notions about Sachin's 4th innings performances. But he averages more than Lara and Steve Waugh.

[goose]

When Laxman suddenly switched from letting Ishant have the strike to then farming it with a dozen runs to get, anyone else's mind turn to the great boxing movies where the champion suddenly starts leading with his other arm? or the rope-a-dope strategy?

[Hindustani]

A farcically partisan article. Takes an insidious dig at Sachin for not standing up in fourth innings and in the same breath puts Lara at par with Laxman. Fact is, Lara has fared worse than Sachin when it comes to 4th innings record.

tl'dr Tendulkar made 35 something out of 215, about 17% of runs and was the second highest scorer in the inning, not sure what toephuck is complaining ?

[goose]

If you surpressed Tendulkar's test average or general performance against all nations bar Australia you'd have a player that would go down as a bigger Aussie slayer than Laxman. Tendulkar's 'flaw' is that he is master of all trades and jack of none.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[goose]

Avg/Inngs ? :hmmm:

i meant averages or innings performances in general...not the divide thing.

[vvvslaxman]

Against weaker opponents he potters around like a spinster in a cluttered home. He knows rivals can smash this sort of bowling about, but dares not take the same risk himself. - :cantstop: Pakistan

[Sir john]

I wouldn’t have hit Ojha! http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/I-get-bugged-when-I-dont-perform/articleshow/6699202.cms …says VVS Laxman as he talks about the pressure he was under, why he lost his cool and what else he’s up to apart from lending India a winning hand – quite literally He did what perhaps, only he among all in Team India can do – help India snatch a win out of what most of India had given up as a ‘lost’ situation in the Mohali Test match against the Aussies. But it was not easy, says VVS Laxman, as he talks of how this match helped him learn something about his on-pitch temper, his anxiety, why he apologised to Pragyan Ojha for almost threatening him with the bat, and how though he was in pain, the passion to win kept him going … You lost your cool when Ojha did not run… Obviously. A small mistake could have taken away the match. I got really furious as the pressure was on everyone. But then I had a discussion with him and thankfully, he understood. In such situations, one can’t take a chance. I was very nervous and kept praying as we ran between the wickets. But you showed your bat to him… Nothing serious. It just happened. C’mon, I was not going to hit him or anything. I told you that it was pressure and nothing else. I apologized to him later. The outcome was good… Certainly. What else did we need? We won the match and nothing is greater than doing something like that for the nation. How are you feeling now? It was one of my best knocks. It also showed me where I stand when it comes to my temper. I always learn something from the matches I play. And, I’m happy I performed when my country needed me the most. If you think about that moment India won, what comes to your mind? Don’t ask. I can still feel the blood rushing to my head, that heady feeling. It was a single-handed victory, but what do you have to say about others? Each person played well. Even a single run is a great contribution. Had Ishant, Ojha gotten out early, what could I’ve done alone? It was a team effort and the credit goes to everyone. How was it playing with the tail enders? Both Ishant and Ojha contributed and stood the pressure well, and their body language exhibited positivity. One wicket and all the efforts would have gone down the drain... I know! That was on my mind. As we rotated strikes, I kept interacting and taking small breaks to ease the pressure. And it worked wonders. After coming so close to the target, I wanted to simply do it. Is there anything that disappoints you? Well, nothing as such. But when I do not perform then I get bugged. You were injured and so was Ishant, still you guys fought... Injuries do trouble us, but when it comes to the nation's pride, injuries mean nothing. We had decided to continue playing as we were keen on winning this one. How do you feel playing against Australia? Against Australia, it certainly is a great experience! How are your injuries now? They are getting better, but my back is still stiff. I am going to Bangalore, where I will have three days to recuperate before the second test match. Apart from cricket, what else is happening? Nothing much. I have some projects lined up. We heard that you are planning to open a restaurant in Hyderabad along with a catering company from Chandigarh. Is that true? Yes, I am interested in that. But then I am so busy that I don't get time to pursue it. What kind of food do you like? I can eat anything, but I love Mughlai cuisine. How do you maintain your fitness level? I do yoga and I visit the gym. What's more important is how you devise a plan to be fit. It's not just about exercising, as you need to be mentally fit. I listen to music and enjoy life.

[coffee_rules]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/I-get-bugged-when-I-dont-perform/articleshow/6699202.cms But you showed your bat to him…

What a tool of a journalist!