On his 40th birthday: VVS Laxman, the stylist with steel

The least famed member of Indian cricket’s erstwhile Fab 4, VVS Laxman, turns 40 on Saturday. It is the perfect occasion to recap his international career.

Debut
The first foray into Test match cricket against South Africa at Ahmedabad back in 1996 saw him top-score with a gritty second innings half-century in a team total of 190. It set-up the groundwork for Srinath to skittle through the opposition top-order and provide India a 1-0 lead, and also perhaps more importantly, foretold the script for his career. An invaluable contributor yet invariably over-shadowed!

Breakthrough century
For the subsequent 3 years, he remained on the fringes of India’s national contingent. A few stellar performances aside, he was at the non-strikers end for a significant component of the first of Sachin’s desert-storm innings in 1998. However it weren’t till India’s ill-fated tour of Australia in 1999-00 that the cricketing world stood up and took notice. 

As Laxman in the role of a make-shift opener nonchalantly drove, pulled, hooked, caressed and slashed McGrath, Warne and friends to all corners of the SCG, on his way to 167 out of a team total of 261, he received unanimous applause, and not least from a certain John Howard.  The wristy flicks, in particular, prompted the Australian Prime-Minister to seek him out and compliment with the words   ‘You really made my day’.


Not the opener
This innings augured to be the springboard for greater success. That was not to be, not immediately anyway. The ODIs that followed were a flop show, both at a team and individual level. 
Laxman then took a stance which required immense moral courage & conviction. Opening the innings had never been his choicest vocation, having compiled bucket-loads of runs from the middle order at first class level. He categorically conveyed to the national selectors to never again consider him for an opener’s slot. Coming from a 25 year-old who had yet to establish himself, it betrayed extreme self-belief. It would now appear that he had played his cards right, but hindsight is always a tricky phenomenon. 

Personally I didn’t quite appreciate his actions then, considering them a trifle too supercilious and out of character. Laxman belonged to a nation where practically every youth, at least temporarily, harbours dreams if not serious ambitions, of donning the white flannels or blue pyjamas. And here was someone declining the role offered to him by the selectors and team management! Not quite something to digest over tea and biscuits. 

Today, a decade older and roughly the same age as Laxman then, and myself a professional in another field I have begun to truly appreciate the significance of putting your foot down and saying ‘No.’ Turning down work which doesn’t inspire or motivate, or is a mismatch for your personal skill set, is an art in itself. It demands tact and gumption to stand up to the superiors, and the willingness and self-confidence to buckle down, slug it out and re-start from scratch.  Some invaluable life-skills there!

The Watershed Moment
The first 4 seasons on the international circuit had thus exhibited glimpses of both style and steel. An abundance of runs in the 2000-01 domestic season prompted a national recall, as India, itself going through a transition phase following the match-fixing scandal, attempted to halt the Aussie juggernaut. John Wright made possibly his most significant contribution as India’s coach. His four words ‘Keep your pads on’ arguably altered the destiny of Indian cricket for the immediate future. As India pulled off perhaps the most sensational Test victory since Botham’s Ashes 20 years ago, and went on to trump Steve Waugh’s men at Chennai to clinch the series, the nation went berserk. The star had finally emerged! 

The ensuing decade was to witness several historic Test wins both at home and away on the back of some stupendous batting by the Fab 4, or Fab 5 (as per judgmental inclusions of Sehwag), and penetrative bowling by young pace spearheads, an off-spinning Turbanator and a resurgent Anil Kumble. Suffice to say though, that the events of March 13th – 15th 2001 at Eden Gardens were the turning point in the country’s cricketing fortunes. A pair of batsmen had not just defied and worn down, but appropriately counter-attacked the most accurate paceman and the most magical leg-spinner in a generation, to remain unbeaten for a day amidst the sweltering heat in an already pressure-cooker scenario. As the batsmen danced down the wicket to hit against the spin, and drove the ball as if guiding it past the despairing fielders, Australia were left well and truly ambushed. Sadly for them, this was to be the first of many. 

- Struggles at no.3, World Cup omission, and resurrection
The 281 was ranked 6th on the Wisden list of innings of the century, captured top spot amongst the Indians, for which Laxman was felicitated at an awards ceremony in 2002. It was a performance he would never better, whether quantitatively or qualitatively.

A tad unfair, but not least astonishing then, that every subsequent performance was to be judged in the light of the Eden epic. A couple of crucial half-centuries at Chennai in the subsequent Test sealed the No 3 slot for him, at least through to the South Africa later in the year when a tendency to give in to unrestrained stroke-play early in the innings proved to be his undoing. Subsequently, Dravid swapped positions back with him, permanently this time. As Laxman made peace with this, he, churned out crucial runs from No 6 at home and away, against England, West Indies and Zimbabwe over the next 12 months. Moreover, 2002 was an extremely productive year in ODIs, and until the ill-fated tour of New Zealand, he appeared a certainty for the ’03 World Cup. The selectors and team management had dropped a bombshell by selecting Dinesh Mongia ahead of him. Desolate and disconsolate, Laxman left the scene, to switch off and spend time with friends in the US. 

So when New Zealand toured later in the year, a rejuvenated Laxman set about making a statement. Australia witnessed some Very Special masterpieces in the winter of 2003-04, the highlights being a dazzling 148 at Adelaide, a truly majestic 178 at the SCG and three ODI centuries in a week. Another ODI century followed in the deciding clash of the bilateral ODI series against Pakistan, and brick-bats were soon being heaped on the selectors for his dubious omission 12 months ago. The concept of the Fab 4 was now firmly entrenched in the media, and comparisons with the Beatles were being scripted.

- Inconsistency
Much like the inevitable low tide after a stormy night, the runs ceased to flow in the subsequent couple of seasons, as the fluency deserted him. His batting acquired a new dimension – graft. Much like ‘The Wall’, Laxman could be seen plodding away in the middle order, eschewing risks, sticking to strengths and playing percentage shots. When the occasional flash of brilliance re-surfaced, like a gushing cover drive, or a wristy flick off the off-stump, it simply took your breath away. And of course, the old enemy was held at bay with a masterful second innings 69 on a minefield at Mumbai, 2004. 

This largely though was a phase ridden with uncertainty, with the occasional Test spent on the bench. Any ODI ambitions had already been put to a premature end. At an age when batsmen are expected to peak, Laxman was left tackling ‘negative vibes’ in the dressing room, which apparently even led to a run-in with a relatively insecure Ganguly during the Chappell days. Moreover, one could often notice the Hyderabadi taking singles early in the over when batting with tail-enders, perhaps in an attempt to boost his average. While the exact motivations can be hard to fathom for a rank outsider, it is a practice made popular by Steve Waugh, and applied extensively by Shivnarine Chanderpaul. While Waugh talked his way out of it, and the Guyanese’s ubiquitous presence has relieved him of any accountability, Laxman had to face the ire head-on.  Yuvraj Singh’s stardom was knocking on the doors of the Test team, with a vocal bunch of media and supporters to boot, and Laxman’s test future was hanging by a thread. The biggest casualty was confidence.

It was October 2007. Enter Anil Kumble!

The Purple Patch
In a fortuitous turn of events Rahul Dravid abdicated the highest job, and with two highly billed series looming around the corner, the selectors turned to Jumbo to steer the ship. Amongst the first actions of the new skipper, was to put to rest any speculations regarding the No 6 slot. He very categorically advised Yuvraj to wait his turn, for Laxman’s class was undeniable. The captain’s backing, coupled with Chappell’s exit appeared to work wonders. 

The home series against Pakistan flagged off one of the best phases of protracted form. A double-hundred against Ponting’s tourists and centuries in SCG and Napier aside, it included quite significantly, as many as 23 half-centuries! Almost every one of them worth a ton in its own right! Those were truly halcyon days. Sehwag blasted away at the top at break-neck speed, Gambhir carved out a niche for himself, while Sachin stuck to what he did best – churning out 100s. Anil Kumble breached the 600 wicket barrier, and had a glorious march into the sunset, along with ex-captain Ganguly. Dhoni’s star catapulted him to new heights when India acquired the No 1 ranking in Tests, and within 15 months, the coveted World Cup.

The table below highlights VVS’ contribution with the bat from November 2007, until the disastrous England tour in 2011. 

The numbers, while extremely impressive, do not come across as world beating especially in an era of flat tracks and toothless bowling attacks. And they gloss over the qualitative aspects of the innings’, which the team and fans will swear by. Laxman, during this phase, firmly established himself as the team’s man for the crisis. Cometh the hour, cometh the man! The 73* at Mohali, 103* at SSC, 96 at Durban and gritty 70s, 80s, and 90s at home and away against all and sundry, with the team in Doldrums and contests precariously placed, urged team-mate Harbhajan Singh to accord him the epithet ‘Sankat Morchan’ (Reliever of obstacles). That India could hold onto the top spot in Test cricket for more than 18 months was largely down to the medley of magic issuing from Laxman’s blade.  A personal favourite was the Mohali effort against Ponting’s hapless men, an innings that also witnessed a rare barrage of verbal aggression from the otherwise soft-spoken competitor. 

Most notably, these efforts were a master-class in tackling pressure situations. Laxman at the crease appeared to be in a parallel world to his team-mates. It was as if he was in a dream, completely unruffled by the mayhem around him, even when battling troublesome backs & knees and subsisting on painkillers. The bat seemed to establish a melody with the ball, and send it speeding to the fence through gaps that the other specialist batsmen failed to locate. The aura appeared to have an uplifting impact on the Indian tail-enders. Harbhajan Singh struck consecutive centuries, Ishant Sharma meta-morphed into a gutsy blocker and Zaheer Khan found ways to connect and swing it out of the park. All with VVS at the other end! In a team effort engineered by individuals, Kudos to the one who could inspire rather than coerce, to the one who could lead without being the leader, and elevate his colleagues while raising his own standards. This is another aspect where the ace cricketer appears to trump the bigger names in the batting department. 

The ultimate honour came his way when the Indian government awarded the Padma Shri to recognise the profusion of backs-to-the-wall efforts. 

Decline
VVS was at the pinnacle of glory, and there was only way forward.  Inevitably, age began to rear its ugly head, as reflexes and fitness diminished. Slip catches slipped out of the fingers, and the swinging deliveries were a tad too hard to counter. The shattered stumps and the flabbergasted look on the face became a frequent occurrence. The 2011 tour to England was an abject failure with only two half-centuries in 8 innings, and the team succumbed to a 4-0 whitewash as Dravid’s defiance proved inadequate. A home series against the Windies and some easy runs followed, and augured favourably for the ensuing tour down under. Obliterating any expectations however, OZ 2011-12 was an unmitigated disaster! As the team surrendered 4-0 again, and partner-in-crime Rahul Dravid retired soon after, the selectors chaired by the mercurial Kris Srikkanth pressurized a rather miffed Laxman to call time on his career. There is only so much power in the self-willed. Circumstances and whimsical men-in-power conspired to deal the fatal blow. It was August ’12, and Laxman was gone. A very unbecoming end to a chequered career!

Aftermath
The manner of Laxman’s exodus, that too on the eve of a Hyderabad test against New Zealand, caused a storm in a tea-cup. Controversy raged as pundits, particularly Ganguly, censured MS Dhoni’s indifference, and Srikanth’s insensitive approach.  The skipper responded with typical diplomacy, which did him no favours to earn an invitation for a dinner at Laxman’s home. The media pounced on this trivial detail. 

The plethora of post-retirement offers which came the way of Dravid, Kumble and Ganguly appear to have largely evaded him. Laxman continued representing Hyderabad in the Ranji trophy for a couple of seasons, and today mentors the IPL franchise Sunrises Hyderabad, delivers motivational talks to management institutes, champions social causes and dabbles in cricket commentary.  Suffice to say though that the Sai Baba devotee and Bhagvad Geeta believer would be at peace with himself in respect of his professional endeavours.

Position in the pecking order
VVS Laxman was never accorded a Man-of-the-Series award, and he never got past 75 in an innings against England. He failed to convert innumerable 60s, 70s & 80s into centuries, even as cricket’s fixation with the 3-figure score is as old as the hills. Unusually for an acknowledged batting stalwart, he was always overlooked for selection to composite teams like the Asian and World XIs –even the Cricinfo Best Indian XI - and only briefly flirted with leadership stripes. The latest fad of the generation, the IPL, was not tailor-made for his style of play. Limited agility, doggy knees, and an inability to hit out of the park implied that he retired with a less than 100 ODIs under his belt and not a single World Cup appearance.

The question of VVS’ station in the cricketing pantheon is therefore a tough cookie to crack. Former South African batsman Graeme Pollock, while expressing surprise at Laxman’s average that languished in the mid-40s, stated that there isn’t anyone he could be realistically compared to, and perhaps the future would see someone in his league. 

Arguably, Laxman’s game was a throwback to a previous generation. The times when Test cricket reigned supreme, when performances against stiffer opposition were not devalued through concurrent pillages on below par bowling attacks, and when people flocked to watch quality protracted contests between bat and ball, when the pace of life was typically slower, media commercials were a non-entity, and when fitness was just a bonus. He would stroll into a line-up designed to entertain through serene batsmanship inundated with lazy, languid elegance.  His final numbers are eerily similar to those of David Gower & Mark Waugh. They, along with Mohammad Azharruddin, GR Vishwanath and Damien Martyn would probably comprise his ilk. Ironically, all these stylists ended with averages in the low-mid 40s, and much like them, Laxman’s statistics were not beefed up through cheap accumulations against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. There was a certain old world charm about them. Laxman thus was a product not of his times, but of the 70s & 80s generation that he would have idolized.

The core appeal of Laxman’s performances therefore lay in the aesthetic s, timing, and utility to the team’s cause – a fact that did not go unnoticed by colleagues and opponents alike.  

Aussies, the pre-dominating team of the nineties and noughties, and at the receiving end of 10 Laxman tons, have been gracious in appreciation. To quote Steve Waugh - ‘If you get Dravid good, if you get Sachin great, but if you get Laxman excellent!’  Adam Gilchrist once commissioned ace-spinner Warne to scalp only 8 victims in a 4 test-series, ensuring it is the Hyderabadi each time! And after Laxman’s grandiose 178 at the SCG, Sachin expressed unabashed admiration of his unique batting style stating that he is best enjoyed watching from the other end, and it would be too dangerous to imitate. Rahul Dravid has in fact gone on record saying ‘Nothing calms you like Laxman’, referring to his stoic temperament and presence at the crease of course!

To enjoy the true Laxman kaleidoscope then, a few prisms need to be employed. Viewed thus, the pattern suddenly becomes a lot more delightful, and he is right up there with the best. Superstardom eluded Laxman throughout his career. Finally, he transcended it.

(Ruschil Aggarwal is a financial serivces consultant currently working with Deloitte in London. His interests include cricket, golf, mythology and Shakespearen theatre)