VVS Laxman deserves this hundred by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	VVS Laxman
Event:	Australia in India 2008/09

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DateLine: 5th November 2008

 

One hundred VVS Laxman will cherish the most is his 100th test match that he will play tomorrow in Nagpur. He has been waiting for this moment for a long time. With Saurav playing his last test and Kumble having retired it will be mixed feelings for Laxman. But what would give Laxman a lot of pleasure is his 100th test match is against his favorite team Australia.

Australia has been the number one team in the world for the past ten years. Laxman has scored more than 2000 runs against them. He is third behind Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. He averages more than 50 against them. For a person who has such a fabulous record against them he was always fighting for a place in the side. It's been a tremendous achievement considering the fact that he was never a part of the one day scheme of things. His biggest regret would always be, not representing India in a World cup.

Laxman made his debut against South Africa in Ahmedabad where he made a match winning 50 on a dreadful pitch. Since then it has been a roller coaster ride. He has always been in and out of the team. Whenever he got dropped he went back to domestic cricket and piled on the runs. He is the only cricketer in the current Indian team to have piled on huge amount of runs after getting dropped, in the domestic matches to get back into the Indian team.

The turning point obviously was in 2000 in Sydney against Australia when he scored 167 in a total of 280 odd. Laxman had come of age. But the most important innings of his career and perhaps of Indian cricket was the remarkable 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens Kolkatta. He along with Rahul Dravid were involved in a triple hundred run partnership that stopped Aussies in their tracks. It was a career defining innings which actually changed the face of Indian cricket. It was really very very special. The Indian team went on to win the series and Laxman was a hero overnight.

To score more than 6000 runs in 99 test matches at an average of 45 is no mean achievement considering the fact that he always played at number 6. With the sword hanging on his head always because of either India playing with 5 batsmen or 5 bowlers. For him to hang in there and fight it out is an extraordinary achievement. He never got to captain India. He was never spoken in the same league as Sachin, Kumble, Rahul or Saurav. May be because he did not play enough odi's as he was never given a long run. But he had always been a great team man and a player is always remembered by what he has done at test level.His contributions to Indian cricket can never be ignored. The 100th test match will be very very special as he will join the fab four to have played 100 test matches. And he would definetly want to rub it in to the Aussies to regain the Border Gavaskar trophy.

100 AND COUNTING WELL DONE VVS LAXMAN KEEP GOING.