Goodness flowed through his visage. And his batsmanship, sublime and ethereal, oozed class.
V.V.S. Laxman combined grace and charm with delicate strokeplay where his gift of timing and dexterous wrists conquered incisive attacks in demanding conditions.
And despite reaching dizzy heights of fame, he remained grounded, with a wonderful value-system ingrained in him.
On a pleasant evening here on Monday, Laxman conversed with N. Ram, Chairman, The Hindu Publishing Group, on his recently released book 281 and Beyond — co-authored by senior cricket writer R. Kaushik.
In an engrossing exchange of views with Ram at the The Hindu Lit for Life , Laxman touched upon several issues.
Choice of career
He spoke about his early days when he had to choose between a career as a cricketer or in medicine; both his parents were well known doctors.
It was his uncle Babu Mohan who played a pivotal role in charting out a cricketing career for Laxman. “My family was my backbone,” said Laxman.
Laxman finished a glorious career for India with 8781 runs from 134 Tests at 45.97. Somebody with his quality should surely have averaged 50 plus.
When asked by Ram about not breaching the 50-barrier, Laxman replied he had, for most part of his Test career, batted No. 5 and 6, and often had to fight it out with the tail.
When he batted No.3 in the second innings of that immortal Test against an Aussie attacking inclusive of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne at the Eden Gardens — rated by many including Rahul Dravid as the greatest Test innings by an Indian — Laxman, with India following on, conjured a phenomenal series-turning 281.
No fear of failure
He said, “Pressure [situations] got the best out of me.” Laxman was not haunted by the fear of failure and his learnings from Bhagwat Gita certainly helped the batsman maintain his equanimity at all times.
While he was a gifted batsman, Laxman, as he told Ram, possessed the discipline to maximise his ability. “It’s about remaining calm, preparation, and things like when to eat, when to sleep.”
Kumble issue
Asked by Ram about the Cricket Advisory Committee’s, comprising Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, handling of the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli issue, Laxman said, “The CAC wanted Anil, a great champion, to guide India till the 2019 World Cup. However, Virat had some issues with Anil’s coaching methods.”
Laxman added, “Anil’s contract was for a year and once that ran out, he chose to go out on his own. It was not CAC’s decision. Anil had done a fantastic job but once he resigned, we decided on Ravi [Shastri]. It was not Virat’s choice.”
Laxman spoke about the innings he remembered and his first Test hundred, a 167 not out against the Aussies at Sydney, 2000, figured high in the list.
That century came as as opener, but Laxman soon decided not to open the innings. It was a significant decision that, subsequently, cemented his place in the Indian team.
A match-winner, he whipped up several important innings for India, including his 73 not out against Australia at Mohali, 2010. Laxman rallied with the tail and India won the pulsating Test by one wicket. “Yes, that innings is right up there,” said Laxman.
As Ram pointed out, Laxman, to his credit, made plenty of runs against Australia which had a formidable attack during that period.
Laxman conceded not figuring in a World Cup match was a disappointment in an otherwise fulfilling career.
It was a thought-provoking conversation indeed.
