By Garfield Robinson
From December 2009 to July 2011 India sat atop the ICC test rankings. That great achievement came after years of struggle from a highly talented team that added discipline and self-belief to the flair that was always present in their game. The names are legendary: Sachin Tendulkar, VirenderSehwag, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, Harbajhan Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But the man who was probably most responsible for their elevation to the throne and for the duration of their reign was VVS Laxman.
There might just be a hint of bias in this analysis, for of all the batsmen I have seen none gave me more pleasure than the Hyderabadi stylist.
We all know of his many heroic deeds: the Eden Gardens spectacular, the back-from-the-dead performances that turned certain defeat into breathtaking victory against Australia and against Sri Lanka and against South Africa. Yes, the very, very special one could walk on water. Sadly, he could not do it forever.
His service to India was exemplary. In this age of narcissistic superstars one always got the feeling it was India first for him, and so it was easy to believe him when he said these words,“I have always kept the country’s success and needs ahead of my personal aspirations.” Batting with a bad back in Mohali in 2010, where he plotted an impossible victory, the Australians must have felt that nothing short of asphyxiation would curtail his nerveless display.
About a week ago I wrote an article stating that VVS was on the decline, and that he should retire as he was now becoming but a shadow of his best self. I felt bad after it was published, like I had turned my back on a friend who was always very good to me. I prayed that if by some remote chance the great man happened upon my musings, he would be in no way be offended by an obscure cricket enthusiast writing on an otherwise credible cricket portal. I was therefore heartened when I listened to his announcement at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and heard that the thinking that went into his decision were similar to the argument I had made. “I think it’s the right time to give (the) opportunity to the youngsters in home conditions before obviously the tough overseas tours next year,” he said. And I agree.
Still, I was silently hoping that he would play in this coming series against New Zealand. Once more, at least, I wanted to see batting lifted to heights of artistry that only Laxman of present-day batsmen can climb. One again I wanted to see a gentle flick of his magical wrists send a delivery from outside off storming to the midwicket boundary, before watching the master nonchalantly drive a similar ball through the covers. During his 2001 epic at the Eden Gardens, he skipped a yard outside leg to slap Shane Warne to the cover boundary, even though, earlier in his innings, he had ventured to the same spot, this time to find the ropes at square leg.
Generally speaking, sixteen years is not a long time to devote to a career. But this is sport and perhaps only careers in crime are more fleeting. Cricket fans the world over should therefore be grateful that we were able to observe such a skilled practitioner over the 220 international games that he played for his country. Even when he played against your team you never tired of seeing him bat.
Laxman’s 8781 test runs at 45.97 are not the heftiest in terms of statistics. At least not when you consider Tendulkar’s 15470 runs at over 55 runs per innings or Ricky Ponting’s 13346 at 52.75. Yet, at his best, nobody could lord it over a formidable attack with more ease. But time rushes on. VVS is now 37 and it was evident in his last three or so series that he was losing his ability to cope with the very best bowling. It was time to go.
So farewell VVS. Cricket will lose some of its appeal with you now gone. It was a dream come true, you said, to represent your country in cricket. It was a dream for me to watch you do it so well.
