Very Very Special Laxman

If test cricket is real cricket than he is a classy willow wielder of this format , if  cricket is the game of building partnerships than he is a master at it , if you consider Australia a dominant force in world cricket than he is the one who dominate them !!!!! A perfect middle order batsman with seemingly soft exterior and steel in his  bones. At troubled times this graceful right-hander absorbed pressure in the middle order who have the potential to bat even with the number eleven batsman and altered the scripts of the matches, he is Very Very Special Laxman who did so with timing and elegance, finding the gaps with a surgeon's precision with his  stylish wristy flicks.

When things are not going in teams favor and batsman are having a pavilion bound procession his best comes out. VVS Laxman has the special ability to perform under pressure, in fact his best comes under such situation thats why he is known as “God of fourth innings”.

 He has played many match winning innings for India and turned the result of match on his own . Laxman's 16 year long career is full of many match winning innings among which the one magical match winning of 281   against Australia when India was playing a follow on ranks  6^th      among the Wisden’s 100 best test inning, which is still a best test match innings by an Indian. In fact he had magnificent 1,236 runs in 15 tests against Australia which includes the  gem of the innings of -200 not out (Delhi) , 178 (Sydney),167(Sydney) , 73 not out (Mohali) .

VVS Laxman along with Rahul Dravid were considered the pillar of Indian batting line up in test cricket and together they have saved many test matches for India .With Rahul Dravid already hanged his boot , the decision of Laxman to call it a day is really a great set back for Team India . Test cricket would never be same without these two great legends .They were the ones whom every bowler feared of, they use to play with team first attitude and their retirements are also for the betterment of the team.

It is being rightly said that "Great men are remembered for what they did when they were alive, not for how they died ".Thank you for all the memories VVS , you were a wizard among muggles .Cricket World will mourn, Aussie cricket will celebrate !!!! 

The Stolen Time

The role of a coach is not only to train players but also to teach them how to behave in a team and it is his duty to take care of the f act that the dressing room controversies should not be made public either by him or by any other players. But what if coach himself is the reason of all the controversies .Their was a time in Indian cricket when coach was responsible for the controversies and a world cup 2003 runners up who were considered biggest threat to Australia were degraded to such level that it  got eliminated in the next edition of world cup. So what actually went wrong .

India’s most successful captain Sourav Ganguly  has taken a stronger move by opting for an Australian coach just for the betterment of his team Greg Chappell was the chosen one but similar forces repel each other and that repulsion started within few days after he joined .For the first time coach became more important than players and most importantly it was because of controversies the team was in headlines rather than play .Seniors were  clearly the target of him which include the likes of  Sachin Tendulkar , Rahul Dravid , VVS Laxman , Harbhajan Singh , Zaheer Khan , Virender Sehwag and of course Sourav Ganguly or in other way we can say the key players of 2003 world cupsquad .The downfall of this players started from there  only and it was after  his resignation that these players have made a comeback with a bang .  

The period itself have many unanswered questions but one fact that Greg Chappell should accept that team was actually against him and he should stop giving his analysis even after so many years that it was players who were wrong .

"Sadly the success of the team was not universally enjoyed within the team. Some individuals felt threatened by the new world order and appeared to work against Rahul , had he been given the same wholehearted support in the role that he had given others, I think the recent history of Indian cricket may have been very different and he could have gone on to become the most successful Indian captain ever" Chappell has written in his book 'Rahul Dravid - Timeless Steel' –is the latest controversy which he has ignited .Well ,all I can say is it was  Dravid’s bad luck that he was captaining India during that time and  second to Sourav Ganguly’s reaction to this that “ Chappell ‘s remarks do not bother any one “.However he might be right because the reason for Dravid’s resignation from captaincy is still a mystery but its better if such things are answered by the concerned person . The controversies which he creates are the unsupported ones and its better for him to learn from the other successful coaches like John Wright and Gery Kristen who commands respect in India.

Greg Chappell  just cant appreciate Indian’s with clear words even in his articles which are published in ‘The Hindu’ and his piece in the Timeless Steel is one in the series.    

Simply Rahul Dravid

The Final Walk

Cricket lies in his mind, he is a living example of grit ,a perfectionist who has never craved for recognition, the most pragmatic, courageous, disciplined and tenacious batsman in modern cricket ,he is RAHUL DRAVID the great wall of Indian team-who can keep wickets, take stunning catches at slip and gracefully accede to all batting flexibilities, he personifies calmness and often makes the menacing bowling look timid with his serene approach, his mannerism and conduct symbolizes cricketing culture.

A perfect team man and a true gentleman of this gentlemen’s game, who is always there for his team, his fitness level and record  shows what cricket matters to him. A perfect student of cricket whom every team wants to be in their side. To start with he has the record of playing maximum number of test in a row and around which lies many records and unforgettable innings which  can not be compared to any thing. It is through his commitment only he has made over 20000 runs, we can best say 20000 runs for his team India and not a single run for himself .Solid defense, perfect cricketing strokes and a very humble guy both on and off the field are the few adjectives for him.

If you stop watching replays, i can get back to batting !!

He was their in the Indian team when India have achieved great heights and produced many legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman together they are called as Fabulous Four of Indian team probably the” Favourite four” of every one. His contribution to the Indian team is priceless and his position is almost irreplaceable, their cannot be any Rauhl Dravid in future he is a definition in himself and an idle for many young cricketer, he actually defines what cricket is. He has proven himself in all formats Test, ODI and IPLs  and all department of games batting, fielding ,wicket keeping ,captaincy-perfectionist in every thing. You just cant have a second Rahul Dravid and team India still needs him ,he just command respect and I consider my self lucky to have watched him playing cricket both from on screen and on stands.

Although the great man has taken his call, that too also for the betterment of team because he donot want to block a place of any youngster, his contribution is just priceless- a grand salute to this great man you will be missed.