As VVS Laxman, who scripted some of Indian cricket’s most famous innings, turns 49, we look back on a career that melded amazing grace, precision strokeplay and incredible strength of will. It was also a reminder that nice guys really don’t finish last. They can be the best among us. Here, we look back at some of the epic innings he essayed down the years.
281 v Australia, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, 2001
What is there left to say about this innings? India were so far behind in this match after three days that some in the commentary team, including the late Tony Greig, made golfing plans for the fifth day. They never made it to the tee. Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted through day four, adding 336 runs with increasing fluency against an attack that comprised Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie, three of the greatest bowlers of that era or any other. More than the runs scored, it was the manner in which Laxman, in particular, wrested back the initiative that will never be forgotten. The inside-out drives through cover when Warne tried to turn it out of the rough, and the punches straight back down the ground be sighed over as long as cricket is played. Greatness is a subjective thing, but we can safely say that there have been a few more beautiful innings.
148 v Australia, Adelaide Oval, 2003
Here, the roles were reversed, with Dravid scoring the big double-century and Laxman the support act. Again, they came together with India in utter disarray at 85-4 in the face of a massive Australian total of 556. This time, they added 301, carefully at first and then at a tempo that truly rattled Steve Waugh in his farewell series. Laxman’s powerful wrists easily threaded the gaps and found the shorter square boundaries at the famous oval, paving the way for one of India’s most incredible come-from-behind victories. On the final afternoon, with the game finely poised, he came out and stroked six fours in a gorgeous 34-ball 32. Dravid hit the winning runs – Waugh was so impressed he went and fetched the ball from the boundary-side gutter – as the dynamic duo once again ambushed the greatest team of the age.
103* v Sri Lanka, P Sara Oval, Colombo, 2010
This is an underrated classic, maybe because it didn’t come against Australia, the team for whom Laxman usually saved his best batting. But don’t let Sri Lankan cricket’s decline over the past decade obscure just how difficult it was to beat them on the island for a couple of decades starting in the mid-1990s. In 2008, Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan had been far too wily, with even Laxman, such a proficient player against spin, unsure of how to deal with Mendis and his carrom ball. Murali had retired after the first Test in 2010, upon getting to 800 wickets and sealing a famous last-gasp win in Galle, but Mendis was still around. With India 1-0 down in the series, they were set 257 to win the third and final Test at the historic P Sara Oval. When Laxman arrived at the crease on the final morning, they were tottering at 62-4, with Suraj Randiv’s off-spin doing all the damage. But as they had done so often in the past, Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar consolidated and then played some lovely strokes to pull the game back India’s way. Tendulkar fell with 86 still needed, but Laxman stayed till the end, reaching his century in the penultimate over with a delightful leg glance off Mendis, his one-time tormentor.
73* v Australia, Mohali, 2010
Even today, there are Australian cricketers, most notably Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, who wouldn’t be able to explain to you how they lost this game. Or they’ll just point to the usual suspect, Laxman, whose career highlights package consisted mostly of pulling off heists against the best team of that time. This, though, was extraordinary even by Laxman’s standards. He had batted at No. 10 and made just 2 in the first innings, after suffering from acute lower-back pain and spasms. Then, needing 216 to win, India slumped to 76-5. Tendulkar was at one end, but when he was caught at gully off Doug Bollinger, it was 119-6. That soon became 124-8, and with Laxman hobbling around with his back strapped, it seemed just a matter of time before Australia wrapped up the win. But with first Ishant Sharma and then Pragyan Ojha providing stout resistance, Laxman resorted to muscle memory to find the boundary rope eight times in a 79-ball knock. There was even an utterly uncharacteristic tirade at Ojha after he nearly ran himself out. But somehow, the two got India over the line. The scorecard may say Laxman scored only 73 not out. Those who were there will tell you there have been few centuries as valuable.
96 v South Africa, Kingsmead, Durban, 2010
To appreciate what a monumental effort this was, consider this. No other batsman on either side even crossed 40 on a spicy Kingsmead pitch, against bowlers adept at exploiting helpful conditions. In fact, Laxman’s 38 in the first innings was the third-highest score of the match. India led by 74, but with only Virender Sehwag of the specialist batsmen contributing something of note in the second innings, the onus was very much on Laxman to help India set a stiff target. He added 48 with MS Dhoni, before a priceless 70-run stand with Zaheer Khan took the match beyond South Africa. Had Laxman been a selfish man, he could have played for the hundred, but with India nine down and the field closing in, he looked to cut Dale Steyn for four. Mark Boucher took the catch, but by then, the lead was over 300. Hashim Amla, another of the greats, passed some Indian journalists in the corridor after the game. When asked about Laxman, he could only echo what thousands of fans had felt while watching him bat – “Out of this world.”