The Hindu : Sport : India has to treasure players like Laxman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004

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Sport

India has to treasure players like Laxman

It is a fate suffered by some inhabitants of this planet to have every fault of theirs put under a microscope till a molehill becomes a mountain. Meanwhile others are spared and walk the earth as if upon a bed of petals.

Of course, it is not right or fair or sensible, but then man is as much a creature of prejudice as reason. Blow a bugle and he will march towards the guns. Mention a hobgoblin and he will cower in the shadows.

V. V. S. Laxman is a wonderful batsman whose fate it has been to prove the point time and again. He has played some of the most intrepid innings ever seen from an Indian batsman, innings that have inspired a nation even as they turned a match upon its head. The Australians are notoriously hard markers (except about their own umpires) and they hold the Hyderabadi in high esteem. Indeed, they count him among the three best batsmen of his generation.

Everyone remembers Laxman's mighty innings. His century in Sydney lingers in the mind, his double century in Kolkata was unforgettable and his recent tour down under was dotted with outstanding contributions. In his last Test match against Australia, he played a crucial innings as the host secured an astonishing victory on a pitch that lasted about as long as ice-cream among children.

Bad days

Admittedly, Laxman has also endured his bad days but he is hardly alone in that. Sachin Tendulkar has struggled now and then. Rahul Dravid has had his ups and downs. Sourav Ganguly's form comes and goes like teenage love.

Moreover, Laxman is a touch player whose game is founded not so much upon method as confidence. Performers of this sort are inclined to soar or sink. Others find a regular standard. Instinctive players regard every innings as an adventure.

But let us not fall into the trap of defending Laxman. Rather let us recommend him by studying and interpreting his successes. His finest innings have come at significant times and against the toughest opponent.

Playing a big part

No cause is lost till his wicket has been taken. He has batted for days upon end when his team was in trouble. Pushed up the order in Mumbai, he cast aside poor form to score his first fifty of the series. In short, he has played his part on India's greatest days. Recently, precious little of note has been accomplished without him.

Consider his bad patches and their significance. He batted poorly at the start of the recent encounter with Australia and India was out of sorts. Ganguly's men had not yet recovered from the celebrations that followed the victory over Pakistan. His team started the series not as a fighting force but as a distracted outfit.

Some men are not affected by atmosphere; others need to believe in the cause. By and large, intelligent men belong to the latter group because they are idealists who understand that life is about giving not taking.

Plain as day Laxman is a sensitive and thoughtful man with a desire to serve. When the team is fractured he feels it in his bones and his game suffers. When India is playing with its heart, though, his bat becomes a sword. When responsibility is put upon his shoulders he rises like watered plant.

Of course, the conclusion is clear. Far from dropping Laxman the selectors ought to be encouraging him. Far from omitting him from the one-day side they ought to be building the team around him.

Bouncing back

Repeatedly, the Indian selectors hurt those they should be cherishing. Laxman was not taken to the last World Cup. Dravid is obliged to keep wickets regardless of the wear and tear he suffers.

Anil Kumble is dumped in favour of lesser men. Others might have been broken by this treatment. Enormously to their credit these fellows keep bouncing back.

India cannot afford to lose its best men. Cricket is a culture. Youngsters must take their places alongside those who represent their countries with pride and commitment. Otherwise, India will go back to its old ways.

It was not so long ago that a captain and several players were found with their fingers in the pie. Indian cricket has fought back so impressively that for a brief period it seemed capable of replacing Australia at the top of the rankings. Laxman played his part in that.

For the first time in decades, India has a superb bunch of senior players. It ought to treasure them.

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