Column

Memonics

There was an air of inevitability about Viswanathan Anand winning his third world title, but even so this latest victory comes at an opportune time.

Considering the depressing things happening in the country, his conquest of Kramnik is uplifting.

He now has three world titles, is the current world number one, has dominated chess for a decade, is arguably the greatest sportsperson produced by India, and no sign (yet) of egotism or false modesty.

Which is not to say that he is happy-go-lucky and uncaring of results, for Anand has been single-minded in his pursuit of the highest honours the sport has to offer, and is universally renowned for the aggression which is euphemistically referred to as ‘killer instinct’.

But there has been no evidence of neuroses-driven tantrums, no controversies, no needless gloating even in spectacular triumph. This becomes even starker in the world of chess which has been inhabited with so many quirky personalities (think Bobby Fischer) that Anand seems to be from a different planet. I haven’t seen any other chess player smile so wide so consistently and look so much at ease with life.

It requires an extraordinary personality to balance the vicissitudes of sport at the highest level without losing the joys of everyday life. In my book, Anand is a superhero who is also a gentleman, and I fear no contradiction in saying this. You can count such champions on the fingertips of one hand.
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I made it a point to be at the Kotla on Thursday to see VVS Laxman make his 13th century. It turned out to be a treat twice over for both he and Gautam Gambhir notched up double centuries as the hapless Aussies chased leather for most of the day.

The remarkable current form of Gambhir and his sensible approach (barring the needless run-in with Shane Watson) in batting for almost a day-and-a-half has already made him the star of this Test match, if not the series. But for me the hero was Laxman.

So much has been said and written about his sublime strokeplay and his awesome record against Australia that anything more on these would be superfluous. Suffice to say that he has reserved his best — in quality and quantity — against the best in the world. Not enough has been said, however, of his resolve and strength of conviction.

I can’t think of another player in the history of the game who has been under so much scrutiny for so long. Laxman has more than 100 Tests under his belt, and has scored more than 7000 runs, yet for some (or none at all) there is always a question mark about his next match.

I have often wondered what keeps Laxman going. He is a genial man, self-effacing to a fault. He has never been part of any camp, does not stoop to either propagate or ingratiate himself with the powers-that-be. He takes all criticism, every setback stoically, and then pads up to prove his detractors wrong.

Aficionados believe it is his steely wrists and silken touch which make Laxman very, very special. I reckon it is not merely that.