Skip to main content

VVS Laxman

This one goes out to VVS Laxman, the plague of the Aussies and an artist with the bat.
Laxman is a strange phenomenon. Everything about his batsmanship is about beauty and grace but it is only under stress that those qualities come forth. It is in situations that would cripple lesser men that he truly shines. The more pressure he is under the more sublime his batting becomes. Against lesser teams when everything is settled it seems he doesn't know what to do, what to accomplish so he potters along. Once he knows that there are runs to get, it seems he plays with even more freedom. It is as if he knows that now that runs are the only thing that matter no one will care about the manner in which he gets them. Paradoxically this makes his batting all the more attractive. Like all great sportsmen he has an economy of movement that is best seen not described. He is comfortable either side of the wicket and is probably the only batsmen who can hit the same ball to extra cover or mid wicket as he pleases without looking ugly. It all looks so effortless and simple but of course its not.
His career defining innings without a shadow of doubt is the majestic 281 which he scored against his favorite opposition back in 2001 in the company of another great Rahul Dravid when he had an average of 27(It must definitely be the greatest knock by a batsman with an average of 27). That was the also the first time I saw the all conquering Aussies turn defensive and some of the best bowlers in the game looking utterly pedestrian.
Amusingly he is also at his best with a bad back. The hundred against Sri Lanka to win us the game in the fourth Innings followed by the incredible test match against the Aussies where he scored a runaball 73 with a bad back in the company of Ishant Sharma. The Aussies had all but won the game but there was still Laxman to contend with and for a change India were the ones snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Despite all this there was a time when he used to walk into every test match playing for his place in the side.
The Aussies must value his wicket even more than the little master's. He must appear in their dreams and nightmares. They do not know whether to marvel at his craft or curse their luck to be on the receiving end of so many fine knocks.
On that note I would beg him not to play in the IPL where he is reduced to a slogger and where all of the above does not hold true.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rule 34 by Charles Stross : You will never look at your email the same way again

This is one of the great reads of the year(with a terrible cover though). Charles Stross writes a near future police procedural in this one. Its a future where 3d printers are a reality and plans for printing almost anything are available online(This includes all sorts of weapons of course). This of course leads to a whole lot of materials being smuggled. Its a future where you have to bid to get a bus to go your way. The police instant messages and everything has gone digital. The rise of the internet has lead to an increase of unimaginable crimes. Our lead detective Liz works in the Rule 34 squad. A series of apparently connected murders take place. Only no one can figure out the perpetrator and the motive behind the crimes. Stross moves from the grissly murders to explanations of AI, singularity and spam with ease managing to keep you on the edge of your seat. Its a complex novel that virtually demands a reread. It is also written in a weird second person style that jar
Post a Comment
Read more

Murgi’s fun facts

This one goes out to Mrigank Gupta aka Murgi. Murgi is such an awesome dude that even Chuck Norris and Rajnikanth can’t hold a candle to him. Below are Some facts that are indeed facts When Murgi was an infant he changed his own diapers Murgi was born toilet trained Murgi is actually the eldest in his house. He let the others enter this world before him When Murgi was born he got his own birth certificate from the doctor’s office Murgi never sits idle. He is just pretending to be like us Murgi never listens to excuses on the phone. He simply tells you what to do and disconnects. When Murgi will finally take a vacation the world will stop spinning While Chuck Norris counted to infinity twice, Murgi had already finished counting thrice and was solving everyone else's problems. Natural selection does not apply to Murgi. (Courtesy Ikka) Murgi caught an electron at rest.(Courtesy Ikka) When Arthur Eddington was asked if he really believed there were just three peop
30 comments
Read more

Places to eat in Kanpur

Our real exploration of Kanpur began in our 5th year when we had our stipend to spend so hopefully this article will prove helpful to all the foodies out there. Surprisingly(and I really mean this) there are a number of terrific places to eat in Kanpur. Hopefully this article will prove helpful to many who are looking forward to spend their stipends. By far the best way to reach places to eat in Kanpur is to catch the bus that the institute provides. The bus runs everyday(except Sunday) at 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The bus returns at around 10:15 pm. Murgi(Our food and snacks Coordinator, every wing should have one) always takes the phone number of the conductor so that he can stay updated about where the bus is and so that the return is convenient. The bus service is really a life saver and unless you have a bike should be the first option. It is also better to roam during weekdays than weekends simply because there is lesser ruckus everywhere. Going to a restaurant on a weekend is an ab
19 comments
Read more