Page 289 - IPL1

O
n the face of it, VVS Laxman does not seem like
the most natural Twenty20 player. He has never appeared in
a Twenty20 match and his batting style seems unsuited to
clearing the ropes. In fact, he has hit just four sixes in 90 Test
appearances and four sixes in 86 ODIs.
But that is only part of the story. VVS in full flow is one of the
wonders of the modern game (unless you are one of the unlucky
ones expected to bowl at him). Tall, willowy, possessed of
wonderful wrists and sublime timing, he can thread boundaries
through any field and play shots that few, if any, can emulate.
Like Mohammad Azharuddin, his inspiration, he arouses avid
passion among fans.
Even the Australians, for whom Laxman has reserved many of
his finest performances, admit there have been times when they
were at a loss as to how to deal with him. In all, he has taken
nine centuries off Australia, five in Tests and four in one-dayers;
the mightiest of these innings, 281 at Kolkata in 2001, helped
end a 16-match winning streak by Australia and remains the
highest Test innings played against Australia in the last 70 years.
It prompted Ian Chappell to dub him Very Very Special Laxman
and helped India win a game in which they had been asked to
follow-on.
For such a gifted player, though, Laxman has perhaps not done
himself full justice. Batting averages of 44.2 in Tests and 30.8 in
one-dayers suggest a grafter rather than a god, but this goes to
the heart of the Laxman enigma. He has not always been sure
whether to give full expression to his strokeplaying ability, or
play the role of crisis manager.
Outsiders have been surprised at how often India have left such
an outrageous talent out of their side. But the selectors have
also not always seemed sure what they want from him. Early in
his career, Laxman lost his Test place after saying that he did not
wish to open the innings (shortly after scoring 167 as an opener).
Later, he became the man to be left out if India wanted to play
an extra bowler.
But he now seems more skilled at adapting his game to differing
situations. He contributed careful seventies to the recent Test
victories over Pakistan in Delhi and Australia in Perth (to end
278
another 16-match winning run by the Aussies) while displaying
a more expansive mood during a delightful century in the
controversial Test in Sydney at New Year.
Whether he can now resurrect his one-day career remains to
be seen. His lack of mobility in the field (due in part to creaking
knees), and a suspicion that his batting is too one-paced, have
been the reasons that he has played almost no limited-overs
cricket for India since 2004. In 2007, he was left out of both
the ICC World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. The day India beat
Australia in the Twenty20 semi-finals, he narrowly failed to take
Lancashire to the county championship title with a run-a-ball
century at The Oval.
His Indian Premier League season with Hyderabad’s Deccan
Chargers gave him the chance to prove that he had what it
takes to adapt his game to more frantic demands. Agonisingly,
the outcome was inconclusive as Laxman ended up playing only
six games before sitting out the remainder of a disappointing
tournament with his side because of an injury to his right wrist.
But the signs, after a slow start, were that Laxman was able to
assert his class when it mattered.
Opening the innings in an attempt to provide some right-handed
elegance as a counterpoint to Adam Gilchrist’s left-handed
belligerence at the other end, Laxman began with scores of
nought, two and 16 as his side kickstarted the competition with
three successive defeats. But if that raised question-marks over
his suitability for the role, he responded in style.
With Gilchrist, the man who replaced him as skipper, blasting
an unbeaten 109 off 48 balls against Mumbai Indians, Laxman
calmly contributed 36 not out off 26 at the other end en route to
a 10-wicket victory. He then made 48 off 34 deliveries in the next
match against Kings XI Punjab, before hitting 52 off 44 in the
last-ball defeat to Bangalore Royal Challengers. Each innings
had brought him more runs than the last, which is why his wrist
injury was such a cruel piece of timing.
By the end of the tournament, it was a case of what might have
been for a player who retained his worldwide affection and
proved that you didn’t necessarily need to bludgeon the ball
over the rope to justify your place in Twenty20 cricket.