VVS Laxman has nothing left to prove

Batting at number five calls for a readiness to play the dual role of dour defender and arrant attacker. Should the team begin well, then the number five has to accelerate; if not, he has to hold the innings together, often in the company of tailenders. For so long and so well has VVS Laxman played that role that we have paid him the ultimate compliment spectators can pay a performer — noticing him only when he fails.

Of the many things he has not been given credit for is filling the bowlers with the confidence to bat around him. Yesterday, while even Sachin Tendulkar played and missed, Laxman looked like he was batting on another planet altogether. One where the ball never spins, the bounce is always true and pacemen bowl short only to give him an opportunity to swivel and hook.

There is a complete lack of anxiety about Laxman’s batting that steadies his partners. Tendulkar settled down after the initial trouble against the leg-and-middle line. Suresh Raina did just enough to convince himself that the treachery of the pitch was no illusion brought about by Laxman’s nonchalance before he too began to bat sensibly. Through it all, Laxman was hardly beaten, and played with so much time it was unreal. No one, spinner or fast man could hurry him.

Laxman’s easy going manner and gentlemanly ways disguise a toughness that few can summon up. Early in his career, he decided he would not open and stuck to it even when he struggled to find a regular slot in the middle order. He has taken over 100 catches, mostly in the slips, without fanfare. He has never been in the frame as a captaincy candidate despite his 113 Tests.

Sourav Ganguly was controversial, Rahul Dravid more consistent and Tendulkar is, well, Tendulkar. Indians take Laxman for granted, despite regular reminders that he represents the quintessential Indian batsman — wristy, loose-limbed, and with the rare ability to change his stroke at the last moment. His Kolkata 281 has tended to drown his other achievements, but his latest century was the effort of a mature batsman who has
nothing to prove.

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Great car. Stupendous phone. Incredible bike. The IPLisation of cricket commentary is complete. Thou shalt praise the products of the sponsors at least twice every hour — a bonus if done more often. Is that written into the contracts? One minute they are talking of cover drives and doosras, next minute they are recommending the products on display, all attempts at subtlety thrown out of the car window.

Former internationals tell us on air that if we want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd, we must possess that phone, ride that bike or drive that car — simultaneously if possible. That rustling sound you hear is John Arlott turning over in his grave.

Inside Edge
Nine Tests, 26 ODI, four Twenty20 — that’s India versus Sri Lanka the last two years. There can be only one reaction: Enough! Take a break.