Lethal Laxman rises to the test - Peter Roebuck

[Prudent]

VERY Very Special Laxman has fulfilled the role almost carried out by Rudra Pratap Singh on the opening day of this volatile contest. India urgently needed someone to challenge their hosts. Dismayed by the setbacks suffered on the first day, some of them self-inflicted, and forced to chase a daunting total on a splendid cricket pitch, the visitors needed to find a batsman capable of leading a fightback. When Wasim Jaffer was overwhelmed by a swinging yorker it appeared that capitulation was approaching. And then came V.V.S. It is passing strange that Laxman reserves his best performances for his team's most feared opponent. Against lesser sides he can look awkward, like a bear trying to perform a jig. At such times he seems inferior to tap-dancing colleagues. Then his mind becomes bogged down with thoughts of his own fallibility and his boots might as well be cased in mud. He has known serenity at the crease but it teases him like a butterfly. Perhaps it is that he feels comfortable as he walks out to face the Australian machine. Suddenly he can see not a hundred question marks and a thousand ghosts but bowlers aware of his powers and anxious to avoid a repetition. Nothing instils confidence half as well as the respect of opponents. Other nations may have exposed Laxman's limitations. Australia has discovered his strengths. Or perhaps it is the feeling of striding to the centre of a field he has conquered before, the scene of previous dazzling innings. Two tours ago the Hyderabadi introduced himself to startled Australians with an astonishing array of cuts and drives that took him past 150. Here was a batsman unwilling to lie down. Last time he produced a more considered hand, chugging along in Sachin Tendulkar's slipstream, and sweeping past 150 once more as India reached 700. Walking to the crease to face 11 tough Australians must be a lonely business. It must be comforting to be able to remind yourself that two of three past innings have been triumphant. Not that Laxman's first few minutes at the crease were easy. Already Brett Lee had worked up a head of steam, while Mitchell Johnson was making the ball leap about off a firm pitch. Meanwhile his partner, Rahul Dravid, was crouching low over his bat in an attempt to find mislaid rhythm. With Indian backs to the wall, the lofty first drop clung to the crease as Lee sent several fierce outswingers flashing past a probing blade. But Laxman did not long remain in the dark. Stuart Clark was introduced and before long the wristy run collector produced his first sweet stroke, a glide past mid-on executed with a stretch of the arms and a late flip of the wrists. A switch had been pressed and suddenly his batting was bathed in light. A straight drive followed and again the ball rolled smoothly along the turf as it made its way to distant pastures. Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/lethal-laxman-rises-to-the-test/2008/01/03/1198949986965.html