A tribute to a Very Very Special Laxman on his Birthday!- Part 2

11/01/2015

Numbers tell a very good story, but often leave out the most important bits. While a Test match batting average pushing 46 over a 134 match career is indeed impressive, VVS Laxman's story will never be about numbers. In the quartet that was much talked about, Laxman was the last to be anointed with greatness, almost grudgingly, as if only because a quartet sounded much cooler than a triumvirate.

If a career was defined only by a highlights reel, VVS would have very few peers. He had enough blockbuster innings, but it would be criminal to leave out mention of a certain 281. Played along with his trusted lieutenant Rahul Dravid, their backs to the wall, it was a stretched out display of lazy elegance and belligerent stroke play. Following on with a huge deficit and standing in the way of an imposing world record, it would have required talent, temperament and grit to stonewall the rampaging Australians.

Did we mention the Aussies there? Aussies were his Zimbabwe. Steve Waugh would easily trade his wicket for Sachin's. However, the fact that he required Australia and strife to summon his best performances will stand in way of him being considered an all-time great.

VVS was good at studies and managed to pull off a juggling act for sometime, enrolling in medical college. But when there came a point when he had to make a choice, he chose to follow his heart.

Laxman idolized Mohd. Azharuddin, a fact that was hard to miss when he wielded the willow. He had the same wrists and the leg side play; if anything he was not as hurried as Azhar, which added to the charm. How he managed to deposit balls well outside off to the midwicket boundary beggared belief. The nonchalance that dripped off those shots was regal.

But this unbelievable leg side play came at a cost- he would never thrust his front foot down to meet the line of the ball outside off. He would end up playing back when the pundits would rather have him playing forward and would get out bowled or lbw often looking very ungainly. He would look equally ungainly anywhere in the outfield, although he would develop into one of India's most prolific slip catchers.

His fielding along with his super lazy running between the wickets were often held against him when deciding teams for the limited over versions of the game. He will be in a rare minority of people to have played over a 100 tests and not have featured in a World cup, not even in 2003 when he was hitting something of a purple patch in ODIs. On an aside, the performance of his replacement, Dinesh Mongia, did no justice to the selection.

Nothing mattered more than the team for VVS. He batted everywhere from 1 through 7. And unlike Dravid, who was shuffled around because the team needed him somewhere, Laxman was shuffled around because he was the easiest to shuffle.

In the inaugural IPL- 2008, he was named an icon player of the Deccan Chargers, which translated to a hefty amount in the bank. He relinquished the position so his team would have a bigger purse for the auction. How cool! Add the Indian subtext of ego and selfishness. How amazingly cool!

Naysayers might opine that he was being realistic about his worth. But then, that should have been even more reason for him to make the most while he could.

The same passion for team excellence could be seen when the usually calm and reserved VVS was seen brandishing a bat and hurling abuses at Pragyan Ojha, anxious to secure what would be a nail biting victory over the Aussies at Mohali. He had a very bad back to boot.

Along with Kumble, Dravid and Sachin, Laxman brought a gentlemanly touch to the sport. Very few people would have had such long careers with the sword always hanging on their heads. He was the least indispensable of India's batting heroes. But he was unique- his style of play and even his temperament. When in a hole, Sachin dug himself deeper, Dravid held up one end forever, but Laxman counterattacked, and did it with panache.

He did extraordinary things without promising them. Happy birthday, VVS!

by,

Srikarun Dhurjati