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Wasim Jaffer plays the flick to the square leg boundary as well as any man alive. He brought one off against Akhtar in the first over of the Indian innings and for a fleeting moment he looked like Greg Chappell in his prime, all upright elegance. He hit three more like that, two off Sohail Tanvir and another one off Akhtar and they all went for four. Jaffer is an enigma: it's hard to reconcile the man who plays the grand on-drive and that lordly flick, with the anonymous player who will wait inertly upon events, over after over, whose bat sounds like cracked sheeshum instead of seasoned willow each time he pushes or drives on the off-side. I like him very much: I just wish he'd hurry up and make another hundred so that we can begin to take his place for granted at the top of the order.

Yuvraj strolled into the arena occasionally in his capacity as twelfth man or something. Each time that happened lots of people rushed to the front of the stand and peered down and screamed "Yuvi!" The man in front of me, who stood and obscured the action whenever a shot was played (he'd leap to his feet, adjust himself and press his cell phone to his ear in practiced sequence) complained to his seated friend about Yuvraj's exclusion. Not playing him in Delhi—saalon nein Dilli mein nahin khilaya—seemed to aggravate the injustice done him. I began to feel like an Arsenal fan marooned among Man U maniacs. Yahoos for Yuvraj to the left of me, Lumpen against Laxman behind me. Unwilling to watch VVS make his magic among these brutes, I left the stadium when Tendulkar ran himself out and found myself a sympathetic television set.

The rest, I hope, will be history. Laxman came in when the score was 88 for 4 and inspite of losing Dravid on 93 and Dhoni at 208, he steered India to within a boundary of the Pakistan total by close of play. He was, as he often is in Test matches, the best batsman on show. It is absurd that he bats at six. Kumble has done nearly everything right in his debut as captain. Before the match began he was forthright in his endorsement of Laxman as an automatic selection for the Test team. Now that VVS has vindicated his judgment, the skipper should promote him to five in the batting order, ahead of Ganguly. Number three would be better, but down here in the VVS dugout, we aren't in a hurry. Test cricket's our game: we're used to taking things one day at a time.

Lets not get carried away. No 3 belongs to the master -Dravid. 5 looks good. And I'm really worried for Tendulkar and Sourav for the Aussie trip. Lets see...

Mukul, You have one more fan in the Laxman dug-out. I cannot imagine why he has to prove himself again and again. He has never failed when we have really required him unlike the other poster children of Indian cricket.
Thank you for the uplifting articles on VVS

It is VVS's day - what a fine innings - all his strokes are gems. Goo luck Wish him god speed. I hope he will make a hundred on 24 Nov

It is VVS's day - what a fine innings

awesome article! Hope VVS continues today's mood into the 2nd day :)

I can't agree more, Mukul. You're spot on with both Wasim & Laxman. I haven't seen much of Wasim, but I think Laxman deserves more than what the Indian fans have given him. Just imagine what would have happened if Sachin had made the 281 instead of Laxman. We'd have immortalised him (not that we haven't done so already!), but Laxman is just not given his due! In the last few test matches that India has played, I have almost been hoping for a 80-4 or 100-5 kind of situation for Laxman to come in and rescue the side. Because only when he does that will the fickle-minded Indian Cricket fan approve of his class. And what's worse, if he fails in the next game, they'll be gunning for his head. Sad to see such a class player perennially on the edge! He definitely deserves more... and I sincerely hope he gets a big one tomorrow and takes the team to 350. Only then can we be sure that he'll go to Australia! If he gets out before a 100, be sure the "fans" will have daggers pointing at him!

Mukul, somewhere down the line you have seem to become the counterpart of the jingoist fans who want to drop Laxman for Yuvi. It is true that as of now on current form Yuvi cannot replace Laxman or even Ganguly, but you do not have to prove this point by blatantly defaming Yuvi. Laxman remains what he is, but to make him look good, you should understand that making Yuvi look bad will hardly help.

"... we're used to taking things one day at a time". An appropriate finishing line Mukul. It is indeed surprising why VVS' place is under constant scrutiny. Many would question is consistency. A brilliant 100 usually followed by dismal scores. And yet, everytime India has needed him, he has produced. Starting from that magnificient double 100 in Calcutta, till today, whenever the going has gone tough, VVS has got going. Can we really fault him for noting honking up his average against Zimbawe and Bangladesh? He is, alongside Dravid, our best batter against challenging oppositions. I hope he scores a hundred tomorrow. At least it will mean a sure ticket to Australia.

Today, Mohinder Amarnath, the master of comebacks, made a telling statement on Neo Sports. When queried about the fact that in recent times, VVS has been under pressure every time we walks out to bat for India, he said, 'That speaks poorly of the state of Indian cricket. He should be an automatic choice for the kind of player he is'. I could not help reflecting that this was true in Jimmy's own case at many points in his illustrious career.

Laxman's place being even debated in our country is indeed a shame - he has rarely been made to feel secure in this line up and often times ridiculous names of players with a flash-in-the-pan performance has been discussed in the same breath.

But surely, Yuvaraj is playing with far more responsibility, class and consistency today and he also needs to be blended into the equation somehow. But not at the cost of making a very, very special Laxman feel the heat.

What is heartening though is that this situation has actually impelled Laxman to dig deeper and show character apart from class, which is a good blend for Indian cricket.

I agree that VVS is best for india in tests. He normally play and rescue when most others are fail. One sad thing is YUVI is missed in this test for his batting and fielding. YUVI should be selected way a head of GANGULY. GANGULY is out of form in batting in intire one serious and not done much in first inning. What is wrong if YUVI get chance a head of GANGULY as YUVI in much more better form and in good touch. He had at least scored 50, i am sure and things would be much more in INDIA's favour.

Excellent. Good to see I'm not the only one who appreciates the talents of VVS and is rankled at the gross misuse of said talent by the Indian selectors.

Yup, totally agree with mukul. VVS along with Dravid is automatic entry in playing XI anyday. If we want to bring in Yuvi in playing XI, either Karthik(Ganguly opens in this case) or ganguly need to sit out! Thanks Very Very Special Laxman for being crises man again!

I remember your previous article on the same issue and it was to the point.VVS should bat at no 3 or 4 .But yuvi's exclusion is unacceptable.I still belive with Yuvi India will have more balanced team with a better feilding.Imagine the dropped catch of Huk by Harbajan where yuvi normally used to feild at that stage of the game.It would have made a big difference.

some people talk with performance, here comes the perperomer again. LAXMAN is irreplcable as a batsman in the team. good luck to indian cricket team

it was nice to watch laxman bat again after such a long time..(3 months). he has easily been india's no.2 crisis man after rahul dravid in the last 3-4 years though his contributions are often overlooked for some reason.. nice to see someone recognizing it. yuvraj, is a very good batsman, but i think he will have to wait for a while as it would be unfair to drop either ganguly or laxman.

You call Jaffer an enigma? How about VVS himself? This is a guy who single handedly thrashed around one of cricket's finest ever teams and time and again he needs to justify his place in the side. Bottom line is he just isnt as consistent as SRT or Dravid. But that's what makes him fun to watch I suppose. You never know what's going to happen next.

silken touch by laxman...problem in india is Test cricket is least popular among the three versions of the game... Laxman has played many gr8 knocks under pressure... today is another one.. why don't the indian team management understand this and give him the due...Sure Laxman needs a promotion and that too immediately...

I would have Ganguly open with Jaffer, play VVS at #5 cause by then you know if Team India is still in the pot or in the fire, Dhoni at #6, Kartik at #7, Zaheer at #8 the - then bring in good old Bajji for some of his big hits - what ever he gets will be bonus runs for the team.

you are actual hero Mukul . time is coming when you are going to say you are best player .Who is saying that yuvi can take only WS's place . only your fearfull brain .There are other 5 batsmen too .Compare Yuvi with them A person making 50 runs but misfeilding to give away 25 runs or somebody making 40 run and as a exc. feilder saving 20 runs .

It is a reflection on the political undercurrents which run through the Indian team and its selection comittee if Laxman's place is always in question. The best six batsman should play and in my view the best six batsman at the moment are:

1. Dravid
2. Tendulkar
3. Laxman
4. Yuvraj
5&6 Jaffer and Karthik (as openers its a specialist role and you cant slot Ganguly in even if he is a better batsman than the two).

Therefore, there is no spot for Ganguly in the team. Ganguly has had a long and a fruitful career but someone needs to let him know that we appreciate his services but he needs to move on.

It is appalling that probably the player most capable of digging India out of a hole playing at any position from 3 to 6 is the one under most scrutiny every time prior to a test series. Often over shadowed by his more flamboyant colleagues, who flatter to deceive more often then not, VVS is left carrying the can. I do not see Yuvraj Singh playing the "in the trenches" knock that VVS is regularly forced to play and is capable of. One excellent gauge of how good a player is, is how well he can adapt his game to a situation, VVS is capable of expressing himself as he has demonstrated in the past. Any decision to replace VVS with Yuvraj will be unfortunate. The more likely candidate to make way for Yuvraj is Ganguly, but even that will be a difficult decision to make as I think Ganguly is more capable of a gritty innings than Yuvraj, being more mentally tough. In spite of Yuvraj's stupendous form during the recent ODI, there is an element of doubt associated with whether he can translate his form to the test match arena. Yuvraj deserves his opportunity sooner rather than later, but will his occasional flaying outside the off lead to his downfall must like that of Shewag? Only time will tell.

I think Dravid deserves the no. 3 spot because of his sheer consistency. Laxman, even though is a magician on days he is playing well, hasn't really had that assurance or consistency about him. No.5 is definitely for him and not Ganguly. I wonder if Ganguly could be better used a la Gilchrist and with Dhoni in tow it could be a killing punch when the match is on the line.

Thanks for speaking for VVS. His bat does the talking for him but sometimes in todays world you do
need some media support,especially as he doesn't play 1day cricket. I wish people could just let him be and weave his magic.Hoping for a special ton from VVS, his fan(rare breed).

I don't know what the people who brought down VVS to the earth and disposed him as crap would say now. Indeed very very special innings. VVS bashers what do you have to say now? Wanna put your toes in your mouth?

You are right. I think India's three best batsmen are Dravid, Laxman and Jaffer. Though I know I can't justify as a huge huge fan of Tendulkar's through thick and think by saying the above but I think thats how things stand today.

I think ideally Laxman should bat at No.3, Dravid and No.4 and then Tendulkar and Ganguly.

Its surprising to see that Yuvraj is fighting for a place with Laxman. In fact it should be with Ganguly. No matter what Laxman is light years ahead in a Test match and in all conditions than any of the youngsters waiting in the wings.

Although Yuvi is an excellent player in great form, I don't think that VVS should be dropped because of him just yet. Regarding his batting position, I feel number that having him at 6 and Ganguly at 5 is a good move. Laxman showed again today that he has the ability to mix lovely strokeplay with good defence. As the situation demanded, he did not try to impose his will upon the action but played on the merits of every ball. I am big fan of Ganguly but feel that sometimes his ego can get the better of him in pressure situatioms - a negative and a positive. That's why having Ganguly at five means that Laxman at six brings increased security.

Hopefully tomorrow the tail won't let him down and Laxman will go on and on and on....

Once again, it is VVS that saved India. When can selectors ever believe that VVS is far underrated to what he is capable of. Once the match is over, everyone including the selectors forget that VVS saved India and probably would even win the game for India. Everyone starts talking about the uncertainty of his place in the side. Why? All other players can score below 10 runs and still be in the reckoning for selection, VVS is the scapegoat for Indian selectors whenever they are looking for a slot to fill in with a new player, be it Yuvraj or be it Dinesh Kartik. Guys wake up and stop dirty politics. VVS deserves far more credit than what he is given. No one can even explain why such a good batsman does not figure in the ODI team? Its high time Selectors wake up and correct their actions before the Australia tour.

I agree with you - Laxman deserves to bat up in the order. Tendulkar should probably drop down as he would bat very well with the tail around him.

Sorry to read about the rowdy spectators around you. I have stopped going to the matches since stadiums these days seem to be full of flag waving jingoistic "fans". It takes the fun out of watching quality cricket - especially of India's opponents!

Ranjeet
Bangalore

VVS had always played his part in Test matches. we always under play him. for me he is two down or one down batsmen.

And Yuvi, we need him in test too. just that he need to find his nick in test matches. remove sourav and bring yuvi in.

Good analysis. We now need to replace Saurav with Yuvi and Dinesh Kaarthick with Sehwag. As you pointed in your last post India needs impetus at the start of the innings. Once, we get into a defensive mindset, Indian middle order never unfurls all the shots it has in its arsenal. We have seen it happening time and again.

I think Dravid played a good solid knock at first down, but if at all, I will like to have Laxman at number four, ahead of Tendulkar at all occasions. Dravid and Laxman are great together, and similarly Tendulkar and Ganguly must follow each other. I think Dhoni plays best with the tail, and so his appearance can be delayed.

till yesterday every one was sayin"why is laxman in the team and yuvraj out?"...today he played a straight drive off tanveer which shud answer this question..i personally feel he is india's best batsman wen it comes to tests..there is no better batsman to watch than VVS.

Can anybody please tell me why is Ganguly in this team?

Mukul,
VVS is one of the three best batsman in India today. His position in the team is at number five. The fight has to be between SG and YS for the 6th spot. AK understands the injustice done to VVS. I do hope YS gets a chance at #6 spot, especially in AUS, so we can find out if he is really worthy of all the favorable press he has been getting. We sure know VVS's record in AUS.

VS played very well indeed. But he's not a test number 3. We have one of the best at that position and he should stay there. I'm happy with laxman at 6. the issue I have is that Yuvraj is a better bat at the moment than Ganguly. Ganguly in Australia against the shortball............can't seem him winning that contest

Mukul, you are spot On.Laxman, is so easy on eyes he often goes unnoticed. its a pity that india have not used his servcies in the one day cricket. he is one man who ejoys the challenge. Remember, last time India toured australia. he was unstoppable. Not often you hear Ricky Ponting say, we are not able to find a way to get him out. I wisk laxman well and look forward to see him get some big hundreds agianst the aussies. Cant wait to see the "Very Very Special Laxman" again.

Thoughtful observations and nice writing on a good day of test cricket.

yeaa..
well said buddy..
it was A VERY-VERY-SPECIAL day.. coming back in side and having a point to prove.. he was just too good to watch..!!

I don’t understand what Jaffer is doing in the team. I can’t remember him playing that well, I don’t remember his innings. A couple of century is classified as a fluke, not brilliance! I think he should be kicked out and get Yuvi in! He can bowl, everyone knows he is a class batsman and he's like a live wire on the ground when it comes to fielding.

hey mukul firt and foremost im a huge fan of laxman and undoubtedly belong to the laxman dugout and always believed that he the best choice for the no.3 slot in test cricket and once again feel vindicted at his display of his class and brilliance in his stylish knock..it was a treat to watch ..but i simply cant digest this single minded yuvraj bashing in your blogs which is enormously diluting and polluting our support for laxman.. why r u projecting this as a yuvraj laxman battle or yuvraj sourav laxman battle..comments like 'yuvraj will never be a significant test player due to his average of 33 in 19 tests and that he is bout to finish as a limited over specialist.. ' in one of your previous blogs can be easily avoided..like my comment on that blog, after 19 tests STEVE WAUGH had an average of 27.56,JACQUES KALLIS 29.03,SANATH JAYASURIYA 34.58(after 22 matches 33.20),VVS LAXMAN 27.80 .. didnt they turn out to be significant test batsmen for their respective countries !! so please try to recognise talent and class which was so evident in those 2 brilliant test centuries against pakistan when the team was in trouble especially the 112 in karachi.. he is just 26 years and im sure hell improve and hope that he turns out to be an adam gilchrist(at 28) or mike hussey(at 30) for india in the sense of late entry(fresh entry in yuvraj's case since he has aldready played 19 tests)but a showcase of brilliance and dominance after that .. when will we start appreciating concepts like strong bench strength constructive competition for slots etc..

Laxman has been and will remain the Rodney Dangerfield of Indian cricket. Gets no respect. Always delivers. Not comic relief but relief to Indian fans, who after yet another spectacular middle order collapse know that until Laxman is around, there is hope. And to add to the charm - be it cameos of 30-70 or great knocks of 167 and 281...its always done with style.

Laxman is the player who can change match i still remember his innings against Australia its right thing to send him in the 5th position so that he could get more time to settle down and play his trademark shots with a better player as his partner.

Cheers
Ansarbasha

We all agree that vvs is very very special....but yuvi is not too bad either... while yuvi averages 33.20 in 19 tests with 2 centuries and 3 fifties vvs averaged a modest 27.80 with 1 century(sydney wonder) and 5 fifties from his first 19 tests(agreed he opened in most of them but still)....so give yuvi a chance before writing him off..we all want to see both of them batting together for India.....

VVS played very well indeed today. But I think he was not undoubtably the best Batsman of the day as written by you Mukul! I thought Dravid played equally well, till he got out. Particularly against Akhtar! The aggressive apporoach of Dravid (8 boundaries) was certainly very evident.

Obviously, Laxman deserves it. Why he was kept out of 2 Worldcups, why he was left out of ODI and why his position is doubtful in tests, Only BCCI knows. :)

Would I be a crazy 'unwashed' radical in suggesting Yuvraj and Laxman in the same XI

"He was, as he often is in Test matches, the best batsman on show." -- often is a very debatable word. In the case of VVS, "often" tends to be synchronous with the border-gavaskar trophy. Most batsmen have their favourite punching bag, but in VVS's case, it's almost the only bag. Dravid is, more often than not, the best batsman on display as clearly evinced by India's test record in the recent past - India's success abroad (with the exception of the recent england tour) has coincided with Dravid's golden years, and not by coincidence. Given the definition of "best" one can only confer that epithet to RS Dravid, purely on the basis of the volume of runs scored and its value to the team. He has done a stellar job as India's opener at number 3, and I just dont see how VVS can replace him on pitches that afford swing and seam movement - VVS's records in England, SA or NZ are case in point. (Now if you meant the prettiest batsman, yeah, I'll give u that for Laxman). The fact of the matter is that Laxman is far too inconsistent as a batsman. Yuvraj too has had similar issues up until the recent past and one can only cojecture at this point whether Yuvi could have done any worse (he has trouble against good spinners on tracks that afford them assistance). The fact remains that one of the big 4 has to make way for younger talent in order to groom them for the day when these 4 batsmen announce their retirement right around the same time. Who should it be? In my book VVS or SC Ganguly, based on recent form. And on that basis alone, Yuvi could have played at the expense of Laxman, Ganguly. And he should have.

VVS really rose to the occasion. Only way he can retain his position is by consolidating on his innings with a century. Yuvraj definitely deserves a permanent place in this team. I am surprised with Gangully and Tendulkar available we have gone with Karthik to open the innings. The selectors must make room for Yuvraj at any of these player's expense - Gangully or Karthik or Jaffer. VVS must get his ton to secure his place and not get out cheaply tomorrow. That is the only way to seal your place.

I congratulate pakistan for their fighting show after bowled out for just 231,patricularly Tanvir for his brilliant bowling. He took two vital wicket of Dravid&Ganguly, that became huge blow for India after lunch and ofcourse run-out of sachin too. I don't know why Indians are oftenly being run-outs,particularly while Dravid in the middle, remember Dravid himself ran-out in famous test in kolkata against aussies in 2001 and also he involved so many run-outs in both forms of the game.Indians must look these areas in coming matches. The most significant persons today are Laxman and Dhoni really batted superbly. Dhoni may become next Gilchrist to cricket world,his aggressive attitude in test mostly remembring the australian left-hander. Laxman as usual showed his class, but the problem to vvs is, he wasn't consistent in his form in the last one year,the stastics tells that he should concentrate to be consistent run getter,it will help to india in future matches and even to him because don't forget yuvraj sitting in the bench even though he is in amazing form in odis and in twenty20.So,Laxman and Ganguly must keep their consistent in their form to keep their places safe. As for as the match is concern this match may go either way from now on, but things may change if Laxman and new skipper Kumble add another 70 or 80 runs for the 7th wicket. Whatever happens it is pleasure to watch both these teams playing well for clinching the victory.

Mukul,

You are always spot on in regard with Laxman's place in the test team. He always has been the less celebrated heroes of Indian cricket and unjustly too. I hope with Kumble in charge, hope Laxman gets a better deal from hear on.

Go Lax! Go Mukul!

Not even one person has mentioned that Ganguly was the best batsman for us in both South Africa and England. That is the problem, all our fans are partisian and just want to glorify their guys and bash the others. All the bashing based on old history, not recent form. No surprise, that the other fallable guy is Karthick, who happens to be the second best batsman in the last two series. I think that, this is the best playing eleven for India and also in the correct batting order. I am sad to see this, but you got to admit that Laxman has become the least positive batsman in our middle order, slower than even Sachin. May be the pressure of always in scrutiny has got to him. But my point is the slowness does not justify him promoted to number 3. Dravid is the best batsman India has ever produced and if the situation demands he can score as fast as anybody. I am sure Rahul will prove that.

Ironically Ganguly the better ODI player is not to be found recently and sure needs to be dropped from ODI team for Rahul.

1. Sehwag 2. Jaffer 3. Dravid. 4. Sachin Tendulkar 5. VVS laxman 6. Yuvraj Singh 7. MS Dhoni 8. Anil Kumbley 9. Zaheer Khan 10.Harbhajan Singh 11. Munaf Patel

Agree with the sentiment expressed in this forum that Dravid and Laxman are the 1 and 2 for test matches. Yuvraj, as good as he is on current ODI form, cannot be assured of a place in Tests. Tests require a different temperament and technique. In one days, you can see off Akhtar in a 3 overs spell. In tests , the ability to see of 25-30 overs of unrelenting aggression at both ends is required and Dravid and Laxman have proved their class several times in such scenarios. They are indispensable for the next 2 years.

Gee! thanks Mukul!Please invite me into the VVS dug out. All those who posted comments said a lot about the 'crisis'man in VVS. But the reason I'm there is the sheer beauty he brings to the game. A Laxman defensive shot also oozes grace and silken touch. Forget scores, winning knocks, his inumerale innings while batting with the tail, his great slip ctahches--he should be there playing international cricket for the pleasure--a cricketers' cricketer!

Whatever press may say, I cant stop thinking how VVS makes batting look so easy. He is one of the most gifted batsmen India has ever produced(So is Yuvraj). Its really a shame that people cant see his contributions. I have high regards for Ganguly, But its the time that he steps out and make way for Yuvi. But all i can say about VVS's batting is... WOW....

I wish our cricket board will take seriously and give weight to all these comments and make VVS as an automatic choice. Better late than never.

Dear Mukul,

This is one of the most bland and banal pieces of cricket writing I have come across in a while. The second-by-second journal type entry of your day is boring and it is ridiculous that you evote only the last paragraph to the subjeect of your article. It is about time Cricinfo raised it's game to the next level and hired REAL writers. Else our game be forever doomed destined for the uncouth.

Well said. Has he been in any other team, he'd have been a permanant player unlike in Indian team. His class is awesome. A true ideal cricketer. His place in the team was not permanent because he donot have any lobby support. The place which bothers me most is the opening slot. W.Jaffer is fine. He's technically correct batsman and pretty solid in his defence, but what about Karthik? We should somehow find a opener in form before the Aussie tour. Someone like Akash, Gambhir... may suite this spot.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. Laxman is the best batsman in the world against Australia, Let it be ODI's or Tests. Someone mentioned that no one can explain why his spot is not certain. I can try to explain that and we will see if you can agree with me, Laxman in from South India and not from Karnataka, that's why. The selectors usually support North Indians, and when Rahul was the captain, he supported people from Karnataka. But I think Kumble had made a much better selection. It was probably the best decision he has taken so far. Yuvi is in a great form, But Laxman has greater class. We all know that, "form comes and goes, but class stays". It could be Laxman's misfortune that he belongs to an era of 3 batting greats and many more dumb selectors. He had proved to be the best almost everytime he gets a chance, but is still never sure of his spot.

GO VVS! IF YOU ARE READING THIS... WE LOVE YOU!! =)

Finally..finally...good to see the VVS dugout having a sizeable presence. It's so hard on VVS to prove everytime he gets onto the field...So many match saving knocks from him and still Indians have a selective amnesia.

Wonder how many more times & how often V.V.S.Laxman has to keep proving what a great player he is !!

He has always been India's go-to man whenever they have been in trouble, especially overseas but he is the one who is always on trial !!

Very Very Special Laxman. Due to Politics, favouritism, etc. he was dropped from ONE DAY Team after his success in Australia & hundred against Pakistan which we won the Series. How he is not fit for One dayers? Chappel & Co. have played a part in demolising India's batting line up. VVS is not from Bombay/Delhi/Kolkatta. That's his bad luck.
He deserves a certain place without a doubt. If he has failed like Sachin,Dravid or Gunguly, he would have been dropped even from Test matches. If BCCI plays politics, BCCI's loss is Profit to ICL.

those who are gunning for ganguly should rem one thing that he was the highest run getter in tests against south africa last year and 2nd highest run getter in the series against eng , u cant drop him on the basis of one test inns .Yuvraj flopped miserably in tests against west indies last year .Kumble was right when he pointed out that yuvraj has to wait till his turn comes as of now he is not in the same league as the big 3 and laxman as far as test cricket is concerned

Hai Mukul, VVS should bat no.5. I think GANGULY is better player than karthick,isn't it? So,y don't v have YUVI as an opener and dada at no.6? Yuvraj may well suit as an opener particularly in AUS because he is the better player of bouncer.

Mr.Prashanth,

I don't think Mukul has blatantly defamed Yuvraj.

I think it's actually Laxman who has been blamed and defamed by all and sundry. It's beenLlaxman who has time & again been made to look bad when actually he is among the best 3 batsmen in the country. So, spare a thought for Laxman.... The people who have been doing this are the ones who are jingoist.

So, it's feel good to see someone like Mukul understand what a great player Laxman is and I appreciate him for having the courage to speak for Laxman.

They killed his ODI career inspite of being the top performer with the bat in 2004, thanks to a batsman in the form of Ganguly who was struggling for a place in the side. Rested he was for the tour of Bangla Desh.

It was heart warming to see VVS turn on the magic,yet again in circumstances when the game was going out of control. With all due respect to Yuvraj's current form, it is indeed an insult to this artist's genius that he is always a couple of failure aways from being axed.

Go VVS go! I absolutely love watching him play.I cant imagine a better contemporary Indian batsman after Sachin and Rahul.

Good to see article on Laxman. It's really pity Laxman has to play every innings under pressure to save his place. He is very very special and should be automatic choice for playing 11 in Tests.

Hey ure right on target Mukul.Laxman is as silken a player ever witnessed in the test arena.The fact that he has single handedly bashed the worlds best and most balanced team numerous times is an indicator of his tremendous skills. I am a little apprehensive of the fact that Yuvi is not there in the team but there should be no reason why he has to fight for a place with laxman. If the competitor is Ganguly I feel that Ganguly is far more stronger, grittier and experienced to play a test innings than Yuvraj has ever been.Yuvraj flopped miserably in tests against west indies last year .Kumble was right when he pointed out that yuvraj has to wait till his turn comes as of now he is not in the same league as the big 3 and laxman as far as test cricket is concerned.Therefore I think that Ganguly is the preferred choice over Yuvraj at this point in time.

Just wanted to draw attention to Ramiz Rajas comments on cricinfo. Laxmans vame barely finds a mention. He goes on and on about dhoni.
Darn. This seems like propaganda!

Thinking of dropping Sachin, ganguly or Dravid is stupidity, we cannot underestimate their capabilities based on one innings. VVS deserves a permanent position in team and as Kumble said Yuvi has to wait for his turn.

VVS is special no doubt but why are we so knee jerkish in our reactions? VVS should stay, Kartik should go, Ganguly should be replaced by Yuvraj...just based on one innings. Before we come to any conclusions let us atleast consider the records of these players over the last 12 months. No its not SRT or Dravid that has the best test average, it is Kartik! Jaffer and Kartik have provided India with valuable opening partnerships overseas in South Africa and England. These 2 have provided the platform to allow the middle order flower. The only player with his place slightly in doubt is Sourav. If he fails again in the second innings the second test lineup should read, Jaffer, Kartik, VVS, SRT, Dravid, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Kumble, Zaheer, RP and Sreesanth.

Not sure what are you amazed for... Dhoni scored the same amount of runs on the day, with more effectiveness, and even coming after him at #7. With the kind of inconsistency that he shows, I think Laxman should come after #11, i.e. #12 for you. Useless, misguiding article.

guys iam a big fan of laxman and he played special innings today and i like ganguly too.just iazine if ganguly scored 50+ runs today and laxman nothing people would have said nice things abt him and his contributions in last england tour.yuvi is a batsman of symonds class in odis and symonds dint have a permanant place in oz till last year.so yuvi has warm the benches till one more year atleast.

mukul thanks for the article in suport of vvs laxman.I just fail 2 understd how can someone even think of droping laxman afer he had a successful england tour where his average was aboive 50 n he scored 2 50s with score of 38 & 46 *.To add to it ,VVS is one man apart who has come up with a brilliant knock in every series he has played.In last 4-5 years i think apart from Dravid he is the second most consistent batsmen in India in tests. If a team like australia rate him higer then Indian batsmen of caliber of Dravid ,Sachin,Ganguly ...how on earth can someone think of droping laxman.guys come out with stats for 4-5 years and i bet u Laxamn has hardly failed in a series. These so called jokers had ruined his career ..One batsmen who could have been rite up there with Dravid n sachin terms of avg. if he was given his due.He has been treated vary badly ..all those wjop support vvs please lets come together and form a club to suport VVS againts all those who want to ruin career of such a high class player can u just imagine VVS laxman not in playing 11 in tests come on guys i cant miss seeing laxman hitting those classy stroeks on both side of the wicket..may god halp him from all the bastards who want him out of the team

great article ear..i loved it as being the GRETAEST FAN of V V S LAXMAN........BHAGWAAN may help him RULE....india will win all the tests..time will tell ..MUKUL ur a genius for digging up such an exotic article...bless u dearee..dr nangaswaami.

Easy w/ the prose there, Mukul. VVS had a nice innings but it's too early to start waxing lyrical. Indian journalists and fans start going ga-ga far too easily, especially over individual performances.

hai
very very special laxman is from my own city hyderabad.he is number one batsman in the india itself,becz all his scores are at the time of crutial part of the game(like 20/4,30/5,50/6).
No one will play like laxman at that time except himself.i hope kumble knows the greatness of laxman than others.becz he said laxman is best batsman in india at the time of onedays resignation.
my sincere advice to kumble is plz give more importance to laxman.

VVS is indispensable to the success of India - both in this home series, as well as in Oz. Dropping him would be suicidal. Yuvi has to come into the team at the expense of someone else (most likely Karthik)

Mukul ji, Some of our fans vulnarability is they are bring the players over the moon while the player is in form and getting runs and sometimes they bring the same players very down while fail the even in single innings, that's what happing dada today, he fails today only after being top score in SA last year and in ENG this year. So,fans to be fair while say their views,as far as i am concern even Laxman may open the innings as he did in the early days of his career because he can handle the pace well remember his innings of 167 at sydney he handled pace well in that bouncy pitch australia. By this move we may bring inform YUVI instead of karthick who is not so much impressive in the past except couple of innings in ENGLAND this year.

Being a Pakistan fan I do grudingly admit Jaffer and Laxman's class, however Yuvraj's power is simply awesome, a factor which cannot be ignored and his exclusion is just bizarre. You have to admit that the form Yuvraj is in can only benefit India with his inclusion in the test squad.

Although I would question Ganguly's place in the team - another question would be why India is playing two full-time wicket-keepers. Perhaps Dhoni should be rested for tests and Yuvraj inserted in the batting order. I remember Sehwag in his heyday wreaking havoc in tests - a batsman in such terriffic form can just dictate the game to opponents.

I think the decision should be between Dhoni and Karthik - Yuvraj should be an automatic selection, and of course questioning Laxman's inclusion is just ridiculous.

VVS is indeed special. Yuvraj is also something to talk about in this situation.
The only thing I am really concerned about is why the heck they keep Ganguly in the side when he hasn't been really performing. Either way India should drop Ganguly or give him a rest and have the order like this. Karthik, Jaffer for opening Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Yuvraj, Dhoni and the rest. I think Laxman has proved himself enough to be an automatic pick, especially the tests against Australia because he has done really well against them.

Laxman has loads of talent. He should bat at thhree, Dravid at 6 and Yuvraj at 5.

Once barry richards had said "I dont know what politics is keeping VVS Laxman out of th one-day team"..He deserves a place in one-day squad too,let alone tests..

well i really agree with ur comments mukul.Well laxman has class to watch.It is true that yuvi had hit 6 sixes in t20 but it is really difficult situation that laxman faced in this test match.He really showed class that he has.Besides jaffer game i cannot comment .He is a cool customer, he waits for the wrong deliveries and times the ball very beautifully.Kumble has taken the right decision playing vvs ahead of laxman.Laxman really needs a great congratalations on behave of indian fans.Hope the selectors understand this.In my point of view a player cannot be judged on base of fitness alone.Nodoubt oneday cricket needs fitness of a player but also it needs the class and consistency of a classy player like vvs laxman.

Laxman has loads of talent. He should bat at thhree, Dravid at 6 and Yuvraj at 5.

VVS = Vishwanath without all the chances Vishy got

I agree with Sunder. Ganguly was the most successful batsman on two away tours but now because of one poor outings; people are already demanding his head, which is a shame. I agree that VVS is a must in test matches but Ganguly deserves his place in the side as well. We should be thankful that we have plenty of proven batsman jostling each other for a place in test side. Lets celebrate and debate these without any bias or bent.

ya lax....man was good but dhoni was not bad either....so y so fuss about laxman only....dhoni played an imp..role...so dnt take ny credit from him...DNT FORGET THE CAPTAIN OF INDIAN ONE-DAY CRICKET TEAM....(SOON TO BECOME TEST CAPTAIN AS WELL))

there he goes again, the laxman groupie head banana, coming with every 10 runs scored by vvs. unfortunately, that must imply a measure of enforced abstinence as consistency has been never the hallmark of vvs....;0)

Laxman when on song is a treat to watch.No one surpasses him when laxman is in good form.Okay,he isnt a part of ODIs cause of his agility, but he should be automatic choice for Tests cause of sheer class batting.And keeping the tour of australia in mind, he should be given chance in every test.We all know how well he plays against australia.He's the only batsman aussies are wary of.Yuvraj,no doubt,is in great form but he has to wait for his chance.He still has time on his side.
Laxman,for his class,is no less than the big three.

Oh! Mukul,

Honestly people like you let Indian cricket down. What laxman did today, probably Yuvraj would do better. What Ganguly is today, someone like Rohit Sharma or Badrinath can do better. Make no mistake that Rahul, Ganguly, Laxman all got their chances in early 20s. Now they are in late 30s. It is time for Laxman and Ganguly to call it a day. So should Sachin after Australian tour. Rahul probably can play another 2-3 years. Indeed, it is a tragedy of Indian cricket that Kumble is should lead the team. It is time for him to retire. Harbajan is not good at all in test. Bring Badrinath, Tiwary, Raina, Rohit.......indeed, I dare say the best Indian test team will be: Shewag, Akash Chopra, Uttappa, Yuvraj, Dravid, Sachin, Dhoni, Pathan, Zaheer, Sreeshanth, and Appanna. 12th man: Dinesh karthik, Harbajan, Powar, RP Singh, Praveen kumar, Badrinath, Pathiv patel, and Piyush Chawla, and Suresh Raina. Yuvraj for Laxman, badrinath for Ganguly, Chawla for Kumble..........when will ever Indian cricket have a vision. After winning the first test against Sri Lanka, all that Ricky Ponting spoke off was improvement and intensity for his team. That is a team in continuous pursuit of excellence. India seems to worship it ageing stars, who are past their prime.

Yet again VVS stamps his class. One of the most eleant players today, he continues to be treated unfairly by the Indian selectors. I wouldnt advocate No 3 for him though. 3 belongs to Dravidand 4 to Sachin. He is perfect for No 5 with Saurav/Yuvi at 6.We need Saurav more for his bowling and he did well on day 1. But three cheers to VVS again.

One fifty, one useful fifty. Now everyone started prising VVS. Don't forget how long rope has given to him. He has only made 50. He has to prove a lot to justify his skills in this innings and other upcoming matches also.

Two, three failures. All anti-ganguly fans get together and started chanting against him. There is no one in present Indian cricket to equal his achievements in oneday/test cricet. Please don't forget his contributions as a leader and team player in the team.

I m a huge fan of laxman and cant get enough of him.He is among few batsmen who have scored highly against aussies at home and away.And the aussies acknowledge this fact.Why he is made scapegoat is beyond reason.I feel there are few batsmen who look so elegant as laxman when he is in full flow.Even there is grace in his defence and there is silken touch in his batting.YS is a very good player but he cant be made to play at VVS expense.Yuvraj wont have to wait long as the big four are nearing the end of their career.Age is in Yuvraj's side.Till then,lets enjoy VVS magic.

There's only a VVS dug-out because we choose to remember him so selectively. And because we feel the need to accomodate others - any player at some given time - in the XI, and put pressure on VVS in the process. VVS has been a gem upon whom flaws have been thrust, by the force of perception. And I say this because I know VVS well, both the batsman and the man.

There were many instances where i felt sorry for laxman standing at one end coming at No6 and trying to work around the tail helplessly.He should be up in the order atleast at no 5 if not at 3 .I havent seen a classy player than vvs in test cricket for a long time after mark waugh.

Majestic is the word best to describe his ability to dig out and play like a roaring tiger. But the media frenzy over other polished ones onershadows him. He is such a fine player he should never be left out of the team. But i don;t understand the approach of Indian selectors over his Inclusion. I hope sense prevails.Cheers.

John, Can we see some of your articles please? Wondering what could be your level of writing..

Hi Robert Plant, Can we see some of your articles please? Wondering what could be your level of writing??

Mukul,
VVS again?!. This was a good innings, but to say VVS again is too much. You nearly forgot Dhoni, who was more innovative. VVS is someone I respect, but he is part his prime. Sorry, bring in Yuvraj- who is probably the best Indian batsman today. This should be the last series for VVS, Ganguly, and Kumble. Harbajan is not worth his place in team, Murli karthik is better. Sachin should retire after Australian tour. Bring in young kids: Yuvraj, Badrinath, Rohit, Raina, Parthiv, Tiwary, Karthik, Piyush Chawla.......let us get the best team.

i surely agree with you all that laxman is really "very very special".n it is true that laxman has been treated with disrespect by bcci.very rarly has laxman failed when india's famed middle order has failed.i think he should bat at 3.which is his fav position.i m a great fan of laxman.his shots are silken touch,his timing is perfect,his placements are magnificant to watch.wait for him in australia.the kangaroos will be left biting dust once again.

Mukul, you article is useless. No question VVS is great player and you are trying to defame another great Yuvraj with this article.

WoW, I didn't know that the VVS dug-out would be so crowded! I have always been there ever since his debut against RSA - he scored a fine 50 plus.If somebody doubts his consistency,look up his scores against both RSA and Eng,recently. A big thanks to Kumble,because both RD and SG used to drag their feet over the inclusion of VVS in the XI, when they were captains. Well done VVS - keep showing the Indians that you are the best!!

I completely agree with promoting Laxman. But i prefer him going in at number 3 and the "Wall" at number 4. We have tasted the success of that partnership.

laxman on his day comes close to match sachins strokeplay, but unlike sachin he cant string along consistent performances, but hes got tons of talent but he cant seem to match potential

Jaffer is a good find for india, and can make big scores when settled. obviously everyone knows what a player dravid is, maybe he isnt as exciting to watch as sachin and lara, but he is probaly the best player to have in at 3, probaly on par with kallis and ponting.

ganguly hasnt got the best technique, but he brings spice, aggression and urgency to the side, plus he can bowl seam up.

however kartick i think is crap and needs a lot of luck. its definitley the right time for yuvraj to get into the test squad, as now he is finally stringing along performances and has found consistency.

my team would be

Jaffer
Ganguly
Dravid
Sachin
laxman
yuvraj
dhoni
kumble
zaheer
sree santh
rp singh

You would notice a massive name missing their ie Sehwag. he will come in to the side sooner or later, and we will have to see how he performs. i really hope he comes good, because he is a match winner, and is one of the best openers india has ever had

Thanks to Kumble for believing in Laxman. Laxman has proved once again why he is Very Very Special. It is a joy to watch him bat. The grace and calss he brigs to the crease is unmatched in the world cricket leave Indian Cricket. He should be in the team for the sake of cricket itself. Oh... what a class batsman he is. There are two things:
1) Class - Which Laxman has and others don't.
2) Media and Publicity - Laxman Don't and others have.

Just imagine the 281 was scored by Tendulkar or Yuvraj. The media and Indian fans would have gone GAGA over it.

If 6 6s in an over deserves a PORCHE the the 281 and Laxman in Australia last series deserve TWO.

I think he should play at 4 after Dravid and they both play very well together. Dravid is still the best batsman India has ever produced. Yuvraj needs a break in tests not at the expense of Laxman. They should play Yuvi and Ganguly alternately for now and Yuvi, Ganguly and Sachin little later. Laxman is not dispensable.

When lakshman was left out for the world cup, Ricky Ponting was quick to point out "How come you could leave a player of Laxman's class on bench for a world tournament ? ". It was not only his view. Many in the aussie juggernaut consider Laxman more threatening than Sachin.

With Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly age India badly needs to inject Yuvraj in the test side. All three of great batsmen are declining. Even rock solid Dravid is on decline. It would not surprise me if Dravid retires before Sachin. I would not mind resting one of the three in every test. I would also include 3 pace bowlers instead of two. If RR and Sree are injured, Pathan could have played as the 3rd seamer. With Doni and Pathan's batting india might even play 5 bowlers if they want to play 2 spinners. The sixth batsman is an insurance against the weakness in defending good fast bowling.

Yes, Laxman is a very good test player. At any cause Yuvi must be in the playing 11 (20/20, ODI, TEST, etc) with his current excellent form. We want results in test (positive) cricket. We believe that Yuvi can give that. We do not like to see the dead rubber test matches anymore. Past is past. You have to look forward and develop your stands up as Aussies. Batsman must be confident while playing the shots as Dhoni & Yuvi. Test is not the meaning when you get the full toss and play straight back defensive to bowler. As a batsman you must know how to dispatch the bad balls. Indian team must improve in this static. The selectors and coach must give the chances to prove their talent and grew their confidence which can only dispatch the work ethics of teams as Aussies and rest.

Another thing is we must play with one attacking batsman (like Shewag when he was in form - still his test record is good). You can not contain with defense in Aussi pitches. We want defensive stroke makers like Jaffer, Karthick, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman but not 5 of them. It can be 3. You must select the wicket taking bowlers who can defend his bating with top order batsman like Sami. We do not want any of our batsmen to play like Sami. Then the things will change totally for the Team India. Then you can see the consistency in Indian Test Cricket.

My Team India for test matches:

1. Shewag (Off Spinner) / Gambir / Ganguly (Seam Medium)
2. Jaffer
3. Dravid
4. Sachin (Off / Leg Spin / Seam Medium)
5. Laxman
6. Yuvraj (Left Arm Orthodox)
7. Dhoni
8. Anil (Leg Spinner)
9. Zaheer (LH Seam)
10. Sreesanth (RH Seam) / Irfan (LH Swing)
11. R.P. Singh (LH Swing) / Munaf Patel (RH Seam)

We are performers. So please do not relay on luck. It may come some time as Indian team’s occasional wins. We want to win all the matches lets as loose some matches due to hard luck. God may bless all the Team India performers and rest of others just leave the way to other promising performers in a Great Nation. Thanks.

VVS played some gorgeous on drives and straight drives and just stood at the crease, so did the fielders rooted to their spots, and the spectators speechless, it was poetic, this was VVS at his very best driving like a BMW automatic

Come on VVS! Weave your magic tomorrow by scoring a ton and save India from the blushes. My mind says India will take 107 runs lead! If India has to win test matches consistently they should have either 5 bowlers(3 seamers and 2spinners - Zaheer, Sreesanth, Irfan, Kumble & Harbhajan) or 4 bowlers (3 seamers & 1 spinner. They should adopt the former policy against Australia as bowlers win matches for us. My Indian team for test matches(play in that order):

Karthik, Yuvraj/Jaffer, Dravid, Laxman, Sachin, Dhoni, Pathan, Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Sreesanth.

There is no place for Ganguly in this team as his fielding is getting worser by the day! Sachin should bat after VVS at no.5, as his dismissal always creates pressure on our middle order.

There is just one sentence enough to describe brilliance of laxman
During last ashes series.. Geoffrey Boycott said one thing to his fellow commentator
"have you seen battle between shane warne and VVS laxman at kolkatta in 2001. it was most outstanding battles ever fought on cricket field. Shane Warne was bowling round the wicket on 4th day , pitching the ball in rough , his leg breaks turning miles .. at other hand.. laxman was somehow managing to get his right foot at pitch of the ball and he would drive it through mid on.. picking it from off stump"

Bring yuvraj in but in place of ganguly.... and even i m not convinced with Dinesh karthik.. i d rather have Akash chopra or Virendra sehwag as opener. in any case both are better.

Nice article mukul.. its good to see someone like me.. someone who enjoys backfoot punch of sachin more than cracker six of yuvraj, someone who enjoys glorious flick of the pads by dravid or laxman .. rather than sheer blasts of young players.

At some test match.. shane warne was bowling.. ravi shahstri was the commentator. Warne was bowling over the stumps.. laxman kinda rushed at front foot.. and ball was leg stump.. he quickly moved on back foot and gloriously picked up that ball from offstump and drove it through mid on .. the way he managed was very awesome.

and Ravi shashtri commented "it would take me 25 more years to see any english player playing such stroke"

and finally ending it with a Steve waugh quote.. available here on cricinfo 2004 quote collection

"If you get Dravid, great. If you get Sachin, brilliant. If you get Laxman, it's a miracle."
Brett Lee repeats the words of wisdom of his former captain, Steve Waugh

heh wrote so long... pppl love anecdotes..

I think that Laxman and Yuvraj are both great players. I think Dinesh Karthik needs to be out of the team and be replaced by sehwag. I dont think that Karthik is good enough (yet) to face Australia in their own back yard. Sehwag has been there and done it. i dont know why hes not playing against pakistan as he averages near 100 against them.
As for Yuvi, he deserves to play. But im not sure if Ganguly deserves to be out of the team because he is a great player. I think Yuvi should probably wait until the one of the three batsmen (dravid, ganguly n sachin) would retire.

obsuletly agree, laxman should be automaticselection for tests, i repalce ganguly with yuvi, and jaffer with viru..
as i got tickets for boxingday cricket (mel), want i want from my team is a goodcricket , otherwise my aussie freinds killme.
ONE MORE THING, CAN ANYONE PASS THIS TO DHONHI
( WHENEVER SOMEONE THROWING THE BALL TO WKTS HE IS NOT STANDNING AT WKTS, HE IS TAKING LIKE 2 MTS AWAY FROM THE WKT)

In response to Vishal's query- "Can someone tell me why Ganguly is in this team?" Yes- because he was the most consistent batsman in the ecently concluded Test Series in England. Why not ask why Dinesh Karthik is in the team? The same people who always have a problem with Dravid or Laxman being dropped are always the ones who want Ganguly dropped even after a successful series. Ganguly was much better than Dravid in both England and South Africa- should we consider dropping Dravid if he does not get a fifty in this match? Ridiculuos.

I belive that India should put Yuvi on at number 5. As a specalist batsmen myself i think india should put Jaffer and Karthik as the opening two, followed by of course the wall Dravid, Sachin, Laxman, Yuvi, Dhoni, Kumble, Khan, Harbhijan and then Patel. Ofcourse depending on the match situation the orde of batting can change. Ganguly needs to be excused as he carrer is almost over and India need to focus on the future. With Yuvi fielding will become and better and he wll add a bit of spice to the batting, not to forget he can bowl. But as a bangladeshy fan myself this is just my opinion. So anyway i hope India win becuase really i think they are better then any team in the world if they just focus, Pakisatan need to improve themselves.