Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman, popularly called VVS Laxman or Venkatsai Laxman is a very, very special man and indeed for Hyderabad, he is truly special. He has risen to such great heights that once a visiting skipper said that as long as Laxman is there, India have chances to pull off a miracle. Indeed this stands true if one takes into account Laxman’s performance in the ongoing series against South Africa and the just concluded home series. He has been the architect of the recent three successive wins for the country. The latest being the second Test against South Africa.
Making his debut in 1996 against South Africa in Ahmedabad, Laxman scored a 50 and for some time opened the innings too before settling down in the middle order. Laxman has averaged only 28.54 as an opener, but 48.44 in the middle order.
The Hyderabadi batsman has starred on low and slow tracks against bowling that wasn't exactly extraordinary. Many have said that the right hand batsman has given his best during testing times. When he was picked for the South African tour, many wondered whether he would deliver, as he had played a Test outside the country in 2008-09 in New Zealand, but he has proved that he is best in the world.
Despite the recurring back trouble, Laxman has been performing. He failed to score in the first Test, but managed to score a priceless 38 to take India past 200 in the first innings of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead. In the second innings, he scored 96 to help India
win thus claiming the Man of the Match award, which he dedicated to his wife.
Speaking to the media after the match, Laxman said that patience was very important. He said that if one could get through some difficult times, then one would get value for their shots. He said that he learnt the lesson in the first innings that patience was a crucial factor on such wickets. However, he credited the batsmen at the other end, be it Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan or Cheteshwar Pujara for ably supporting him to see India through when the top order collapsed.
A down to earth Laxman after his performance at Kingsmead has made it to the top-10 of the ICC rankings for the first time. Reacting to this, Laxman said that he did not follow the rankings. He said that his mantra was to work which would eventually reflect in the rankings.
Looking back on the year gone by, Laxman said that in a competitive environment the country had held on to the No.1 ranking in Tests which was not a small achievement. He recalled that in 2010, the team had sprung back from the jaws of defeat thrice reflecting the character. He agreed that a lot of effort had been put into it to reap the rewards.
In 2010, in a Test match against South Africa in Kolkata, the Hyderabadi batsman scored 143 partnering with skipper MS Dhoni in a record stand for the seventh wicket thus surpassing 7000 Test runs. India won the Test in the last 10 minutes of the match to retain the world Number 1 status.
Laxman scored 103 not out in the third test against Sri Lanka in August last year to help India level the series. He won the Man of the Match award in India’s five-wicket win. In October, in the first test against Australia, at Mohali, Laxman steered India to victory with support from Suresh Raina as his runner, after India was tottering at 124/8 in need of 216. He and speedster Ishant Sharma put on 81 to take the score to 205 before Sharma departed and another Hyderabadi, Pragyan Ojha joined him at the crease. He starred in the one-wicket win with Laxman remaining not out on 73.
Laxman is known for his superb timing and the ability to hit against spin. He has the knack of using his wrists, which allow him to flick the ball all over the field, but usually through the leg side. The use of his wrists help him in taking catches and can most often be seen in slip positions or in close catch in positions. When needed, he occasionally bowls off-spin.
Apart from playing for India in the Test and One Day International, Laxman has turned out for Hyderabad and Lancashire. In the inaugural IPL Twenty-20 tournament in 2008, Laxman captained the Deccan Chargers team.
However, VVS Laxman would always be remembered for his innings against Steve Waugh’s team at the Eden Garden in 2001. He scored 281 to pull India out from the brink of defeat.
Hailing from Hyderabad, the right-handed batsman was born on November 1, 1974 to doctor couple Shantaram and Satyabhama. He did his schooling from Little Flower High School and planned to follow the footsteps of his parents. However, cricket was his passion and bowled by the performance of another Hyderabadi Mohammad Azharuddin, Laxman voted to step on to the cricketing arena. He is the great-nephew of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, former President of India.
Married to G. R. Sailaja from Guntur, who is a post-graduate in computer applications, he is blessed with a son Sarvajit and a daughter Achintya.
At a Glance
Full Name: Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman
Born: November 1, 1974, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Major teams: India, Hyderabad
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm off break
Achievements:
1. His innings of 281 against Australia in 2001 was ranked sixth in Wisden's list of 100 great Test innings in history
2. Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2002
3. Test Debut: vs South Africa, November 20, 1996, Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, India
4. Last Test played: vs South Africa, December 26, 2010, Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa