“It is for the national selectors to decide about my selection, for they are the best judges. I have nothing more to prove and I am really pleased with my performance for English county Lancashire this season,” remarked 34-year-old V.V.S. Laxman, after his return from England where he had a highly successful stint, scoring three centuries and having played in all the three formats of the game.
National chances
Laxman was reacting to a query on his chances of making it to the national One-day squad after Rahul Dravid’s recall for the limited-overs version.
“At this point of my career, there is nothing like proving a point or two. My county performances show that I can play in any format and under any conditions. All that I can say is that given the chance, I will be ready to perform for my country as I did for Lancashire,” he said in a media interaction.
He emphasised what was important was that he was involved in active cricket for more than three months in England. Initially he was worried about the long gap between the last edition of the Indian Premier League and the domestic season back home.
“But now, I can say that I stayed in touch with the game and stayed in the right frame of mind. Playing in different places and in different conditions in various formats was really a wonderful experience and it was a great feeling to be part of the Lancashire dressing room atmosphere. I am ready for any challenge now,” he asserted.
“From a personal point of view, it is really disappointing that India will play only three Tests this year. I hope the Board will look into this issue seriously and do something,” the stylish veteran of 105 Tests said.
Commenting on the threat to ODIs from the Twenty-20 format, Laxman said he was hopeful the International Cricket Council would be looking into the issue and would eventually come out with suitable amendments to the rules as it did by bringing the third power-play recently.
Pressure
“Definitely, T-20 format will put a lot of pressure on the other formats since it is a complete family package giving the fans worthy fare for three hours,” he said. “But about Sachin’s suggestion, I don’t want to say anything (whether the One-dayers should be split into two innings to counter the challenge of T-20).”
Reflecting on India’s performance in the just-concluded Champions Trophy, Laxman felt it was really unfortunate that rain forced abandonment of play against Australia. “Even against the Sri Lankans, I thought it was a close contest despite the margin of defeat. We had our chances and I don’t think we should be dispirited,” he remarked.
Defending M.S. Dhoni’s captaincy, Laxman said that results of late had shown him to be an excellent captain. “I enjoyed playing under him. I believe that both Dhoni and Gary Kirsten (coach) form a great combination. Let us not forget that Dhoni did determine the results of quite a few important matches in recent times,” he said.
Laxman who will be playing for Deccan Chargers in next week’s Champions League believes that his team has the potential to be the best. “The boys really adapted well in South Africa to win the second edition of the IPL. We hope to take it match by match and play to our full potential and thereby continue that excellent run in the Champions League too,” he said.
Praise for Rayudu
The India star signed off with a word of appreciation for his Hyderabad teammate Ambati Rayudu. “I am really pleased with his form this season. He is such a wonderfully talented player. I just hope that he does justice to his immense talent. I wish him all the best,” he concluded.
