VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman Biography

Watching VVS Laxman bat alongside the likes of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni was like watching a Rock concert one moment and Beethoven the next. Laxman brought gentleness to his craft; he caressed the ball with velvety wrists that mocked field settings. VVS was a puritan, yet he could be audacious. If Viv Richards bludgeoned balls pitched outside the off stump by imperiously orbiting them over midwicket, VVS used his supple wrists to coax the ball to along the greens in a wide arc between long-leg and long-on.

If Mariah Carey could get her legs insured for $1 billion and Jennifer Lopez insured her posterior for $300 million, then Laxman’s magical wrists was definitely worth a few million dollars. The wrists that created a surreal experience at the batting crease seemed like heirloom, handed over to him by another Hyderabadi artist, Mohammad Azharuddin, almost equally brilliant but certainly not up to his successor’s standards.

Unlike his more glamorous contemporaries, there was never a special sobriquet to anoint Laxman. That was perhaps the tragedy of his cricketing career. If not better, Laxman was as good as Dravid playing under pressure — a master in crisis management. And the tour de force of his career was his 281 against Australia at Kolkata in 2001 when his jugalbandi with Dravid helped India win by 171 runs after following 274 behind.

It’s no secret that the mighty Australians under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting feared Laxman more than Tendulkar. That is saying a lot. Laxman had also launched a furious onslaught against the same opposition at SCG a year before the 281, scoring 167 out of a team score of 261; and scored an outrageous 32 at Bloemfontein that John Wright called the best thirty he had seen.

Between 2000 and 2011, Laxman remained extremely consistent, but one poor series in Australia in 2011-12 saw critics baying for his blood. He was selected for the two-Test home series against New Zealand when he called it a day and bypassed the opportunity to say farewell in front his hometown fans in Hyderabad — no doubt saddened by the mounting criticism against his selection.

How will the cricketing world remember Laxman? As Very Very Special, to borrow a quote from Ian Chappell.

H Natarajan

VVS Laxman Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	134	225	8781	34	281	45.97	17785	49.37	17	56	1135	5	135	0
ODIs	86	83	2338	7	131	30.76	3282	71.23	6	10	222	4	39	0
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

VVS Laxman Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	134	324	126	2	63.00	2.333	162	0	0	1/2	1/2
ODIs	86	42	40	0	--	5.714	--	0	0	0/1	0/1
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		0/1

VVS Laxman Career statistics

News ON VVS Laxman

IND vs SL: VVS Laxman Lauds Varun Chakravarthy, Claims He’s Got an X-Factor

Laxman feels that Varun has an X-Factor as he has the ability to provide breakthroughs at any point of the game.

VVS Laxman to Remain Bengal Batting Consultant; Laxmi Ratan Shukla Returns as U-23 Coach

It will be a second innings of sorts for the former Bengal skipper and allrounder Shukla, who had retired from all forms of cricket to ...

IND vs SL 2021: Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Should Play All 3 ODIs Against Sri Lanka, Will Boost Their Confidence, Says VVS Laxman

In their prime, Kuldeep and Chahal emerged as big match-winners for Team India and bamboozled opposition batsmen all over the world.

Virender Sehwag Shares Hilarious Meme to Wish Sourav Ganguly on His 49th Birthday, Credits Former India Captain For Revolutionizing Indian Cricket | SEE POST

Former Indian opener Sehwag recalled Ganguly's passion and determination, saying that only few can match Dada.

Down The Memory Lane: Sourav Ganguly Motivating Speech to Lift KKR’s Players | WATCH VIDEO

Ganguly is seen talking about two instances that changed his career for good.

He is Skipper For Sri Lanka Series But Shikhar Dhawan Too Needs to Secure His T20 WC Spot: VVS Laxman

With skipper Virat Kohli also opening for RCB in the IPL, it does get tougher for Dhawan to make an inroad into the shortest format squad.

More News on VVS Laxman

Features ON VVS Laxman

Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? VVS Laxman Picks First-Choice Spinner For WTC Final

Both the Indian spinners have done well in the recent past.

Engineer’s warmth, Ganguly’s coldness, Laxman’s embrace: India’s love-hate relationship with Old Trafford

Lancashire's three biggest Indian signings were all pretty contrasting.

Tendulkar, Laxman dragged into Conflict of Interest saga

In his email to the BCCI Ombudsman, Gupta, a life member of the MPCA alleged that Tendulkar and Laxman are in breach of Rule 38 of the ...

How many times have India won ODI series deciders?

Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Mongia and Amit Mishra have all helped India win series.

Best of India in Australia: Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman script historic win at Adelaide

Chasing a target of 233, Rahul Dravid showed his class and remained unbeaten on 72 to finish of the game by hitting the winning runs as ...

Best of India in Australia: VVS Laxman arrives with 167 at the SCG

Not since Ian Botham has there been a tormentor of Australians like Laxman, and Sydney was where it all began.

More Features on VVS Laxman

महिला क्रिकेट में सबसे ज्यादा रन बनाने वाली बल्लेबाज बनी मिताली राज; बनाए कई रिकॉर्ड्स

WTC Final से पहले मैदान में उतरेंगे Trent Boult, इंग्‍लैंड के खिलाफ खेलेंगे दूसरा टेस्‍ट

न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ WTC फाइनल में ये कीर्तिमान हासिल कर सकते हैं अश्विन

ICC WTC 2021: Pat Cummins ने बताया- खिताब का कौन है असली दावेदार

Michael Holding बोले- नस्‍लवाद के इस दानव को खत्‍म होते नहीं देख पाऊंगा, इसका कभी अंत नहीं होगा