Laxman's second coming
Sambit Bal
Call me a silly romantic, but I'm a sucker for VVS Laxman's batting. He is a soothing reminder of everything that used to be lovely about cricket.
A batsman of rare grace and beauty, of divine touch and timing, he restores our faith in a game that is increasingly deteriorating to one that is gladiatorial and attritional and leaves little room for individual expressions of artistry. In full bloom, players like Laxman and others of his ilk - Australia's Damien Martyn, Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene - dignify the game.
Because Laxman is such a special player, his recent struggle to come to terms with his own talent was all the more distressing. Ever since his dazzling Kolkata masterpiece of March 2001 - surely an innings of many lifetimes - Laxman has batted as if in a trance, getting drawn into fatal indiscretions while being aware of their perils.
Without ever looking out of touch or ill at ease, he has managed to throw good starts away, one after the other. There came a time during England's tour of India earlier this year when goodwill towards him began to turn into exasperation; and even his most staunch supporters began to give up on him. In fact, Laxman would perhaps not have made it to the first Test XI in the West Indies had Virender Sehwag been fit.
After three innings in the West Indies, it may still be premature to say that Laxman has turned the corner. But yes, we can happily say that there has been progress.
The 20s and 30s have been converted to 60s and 70s, but more than the number of runs, it is heartening to see a growing resoluteness, a determination not to sell himself short, a willingness to buckle down to the team cause, and a conscious effort to curb his natural inclination to waft at balls away from his body.
The old affliction still strikes once in a while and it denied him what would have been a great third century in the second innings at the Queen's Park Oval last week, but mercifully, Laxman had already done enough for it to be described as the second-most significant innings of his Test career.
At 54 for 4 on the third afternoon, India looked headed for a familiar disaster. The lead was a mere 150 and the two men who had looked most likely to take India to a winning total - Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar - had gone.
Tendulkar's dismissal pointed to a worrying pattern: another second-innings failure and another lbw, playing back and across the line to an incoming ball. One more wicket, and it would all be over. A lead of 240 would be ambitious, Geoff Boycott said.
India ended up with a lead of 313, and Laxman added 151 runs for the fifth wicket with Sourav Ganguly, who batted with grit and a sense of purpose he has rarely displayed in recent times.
The pitch held no terrors, but it wasn't easy to bat on. Many balls kept low, some skidded on and some stopped. It called for vigil, application, immense concentration and above all, a show of character.
Both Laxman and Ganguly were equal to the task.
The job is only half done, though. The pitch at Barbados will pose a greater challenge for the Indian batsmen, and they will have to bat out of their skins to hold on to their lead. But something tells us that Laxman might just be warming up, and that's an appetising prospect.
India's tour of West Indies - The complete coverage
