Name:

Laxman, Vangipurappu V S

Nickname:

VVS, Very Very Special

Date of Birth:

01 Nov 1974

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present–day Telangana), India

Career:

Test: 1996 - 2012
ODI: 1998 - 2006
First Class: 1992 - 2012

Teams:

India (Country)
Deccan Chargers (IPL)

Final frontier: India snatch series win as Aussies falter (2001)

VVS Laxman: Very very special batting under pressure

VVS Laxman was born on November 1, 1974 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. He was the son of 2 doctors and started a medical degree himself before the calling of cricket took over. He was an elegant right handed batsman who had a strong on side game.

He made his first class debut in 1992 for Hyderabad against Punjab scoring a duck. He made his Test debut in 1996 against South Africa.

Together with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virendra Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly, Laxman was one of Fab Five batsman that heralded a golden era of batting for India.

Facing defeat against Australia at Kolkata in the 1st Test of 2001, Laxman played a pivotal role in securing an unexpected win by scoring a sublime 281. India were behind struggling at 232-4 in the second innings when Laxman and Rahul Dravid (180) put on a match-winning partnership of 376 to help their team post 657-7 declared and ultimately win by 171 runs in a massive upset. This is considered to be one of the best attacking innings of all time, played under significant pressure.

Laxman scored 494 runs in four Tests during the 2004 Australia tour. His batting helped India to draw the series 1-1.

Laxman retired in 2012 having played 134 Tests since his debut in 1996. He scored 8,781 runs at an average of 45.97 with 17 centuries and 56 fifties. He also scored 2,338 runs in 86 one-day internationals with six hundreds, having last played in ODIs in 2006.

Laxman is remembered as one of India’s great Test artists — a batsman of extraordinary touch, timing and temperament rather than brute force. His legacy is built on his flair for shaping matches in pressure situations, often against world-class attacks and often with lower order support. The defining symbol of his career remains the 281 in Kolkata in 2001, a knock regarded as one of the greatest innings ever played — it flipped a lost Test into a famous victory and psychologically altered India’s belief against Australia. Laxman became synonymous with fourth-innings grit, wristy mid-wicket placement, leg-side elegance and an ability to play spin and pace with equal serenity.

Notably, he had a remarkable record vs Australia — they were his favourite opponents and he punished them consistently across tours. He became the template of a “crisis specialist”: when India were 5 down for not many, Laxman didn’t flinch — he built innings patiently with tailenders and manufactured momentum without risks. Off the field, he is seen as understated, dignified, technical but empathetic — the archetype of the quiet matchwinner.

After retirement, Laxman played a few seasons of IPL cricket and now commentates on TV.

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter