The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up Adoring - Part III

The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up Adoring - Part III

India has always been blessed with batsmen who were brilliant players of the pads and who possessed supple wrists but the batsman that I'm going to write about in this post was a batting wizard with the bat in hand. Watching him bat was like witnessing a master sculptor create a master-piece from nothing but a slab of stone, it was like watching the Sun rise slowly to dispel the darkness all around with it's brightness, it was like hearing a melody being composed by your favourite composer.

Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman (VVS Laxman)

VVS Laxman was from Hyderabad and just like another man from the same town, former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, VVS possessed special wrists. Rubbery and extremely supple the work that he put on the ball using those wrists was almost magic. He could put balls pitching miles outside the off stump through the leg side or he could cover drive them or straight drive them as and when he liked. At times it seemed that the impact of ball on bat was happening in extra slow motion while he was batting. It depended on his mood and he could baffle the opposition with his batting.

Laxman made his Test debut in 1996 and was tried as an opener, a position India were desperately looking for someone to fill, but he did nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary. He was dropped around 1999 but he returned to domestic cricket to further home his skills. He returned in 2000 and made a fantastic 167 at Sydney against the Australians. That innings started his long love affair with the men in Baggy Green.

His most memorable performance came in the 2001 test series against the all-conquering Australians who were on a hot winning streak of 16 consecutive test match wins. India, having lost the first test was following on in the second test was staring at yet another defeat but Laxman produced the finest test innings ever played under pressure and combined with Rahul Dravid for an epic partnership of 376 runs. Laxman would score 281 and Dravid 180, India would win the test and the next one as well with Laxman making half centuries in both innings. How he mastered Shane Warne in that series is something is permanently etched in my mind. He would play balls pitching a foot outside leg stump and turning in towards the mid-wicket for boundaries. When Australia placed fielders on the leg side, he would skip down the track and making room slap the ball through through the covers! On a dusty turning track Laxman reduced the best leg spinner the world has ever seen to a mere spectator. After the series, Warne admitted he was clueless as to where to bowl to Laxman.

Laxman would continue to torment the Aussies right throughout his career and seeing the men from down under brought the best out of the soft spoken and humble Indian batsman. He could never cement his place as an ODI batsman though and played only 86 matches.

His end came when India lost 0-4 to England and Australia on consecutive away tours. He could only muster 4 half centuries across those 8 tests. In all he played 134 tests for India and scored over 8700 runs with an average of almost 46. VVS was a very very special player whose fond memories will always continue to find a special place in every fans heart.

The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up Adoring - Part II

The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up adoring - Part II

In this part two of ‘The Fantastico Duo of Indians I grew up adoring’ I will write about a player who with his limited talent and selfless attitude served the Indian cricket for a very long time. It was through his sheer hard work and determination that he found a consistent place in an Indian team that was filled with some big names.

Rahul Dravid

Perhaps the most selfless cricketer to have ever played the game, Rahul Dravid was a thorough gentleman both on and off the field. His debut innings at Lords, where he made a defiant 95 was overshadowed by a more enterprising 131 that Sourav Ganguly (he was also making his debut) hit. The trend would find home on several occasions whence good performances by Rahul went completely unnoticed because some other batsman would have played a better or more scintillating innings then him.

Rahul was known for his classical and simple technique and unending concentration which earned him the nickname ‘The Wall’. Dravid could face any bowler on any wicket and he did not have any glaring weaknesses in his game. If he had, he probably worked hours on it rectifying them. The elegant cover drives and late cuts, the flicks and the straight drives, he was a master of every stroke that a purist hopes to see.

Give a difficult pitch and a difficult situation and Rahul would face it heads on. He produced several impactful test match innings but none greater than his 180 on a difficult Eden Gardens pitch where he forged an epic 376 run partnership with VVS Laxman. India, following on, came back from nowhere and defeated the Australians who were riding high with 16 consecutive test wins. Another memorable knock came at Adelaide in 2003 where he hit a double ton and a half century as India defeated Australia.

He also sacrificed and adjusted himself according to the needs of the Indian cricket team. He donned the gloves during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa to give a better balance to the team. He also opened the batting overseas when India wanted a solid opener. He was often moved around in the batting order so that others could occupy their favoured positions. In his second last tour, when India toured England and failed spectacularly Dravid showed the world just how good he was. He scored over 400 runs in the series which included 3 tons against a very good English attack in helpful conditions.

The fact that he scored over 10000 runs in both test and ODI cricket goes to show what a person who is gritty and honest about his job can achieve. The epitome of hard work, bloody minded determination and selfless attitude – Rahul Dravid is the probably most likable and Fantastico hero that you could come across as a kid.

The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up Adoring - Part I

The Fantastico Indian Cricketer I grew up adoring - Part I

As an Indian several Indian players left a deep impact on me during my growing years. As kids when playing in our neighbourhood, we wanted to play like our famous superstars and imitated their every move. Obviously Sachin was the favourite of everyone but there were a others too who were worth emulating and in this post I will talk about a great leader and a versatile batsman, a man who led India with his heart on his sleeve.

Sourav Ganguly

He made his test debut in 1996 and hit a 100 at Lords to kick start his career. Although he played over 100 tests and scored over 7000 runs his real value came as a captain of the side where, with his dynamic leadership he spurred a team to achieve great feats under him. He was known as Dada (elder brother in Bengali) and he was also known for his off side play which earned him the nickname ‘God of the Off Side’. But he was also known to be very weak against the short rising ball and opposition teams generally used the short ball tactic to silence him.

His greatest feat as a captain came when India faced a rampaging Australian side in 2001 who had won 15 tests on a roll and who defeated India in the first test inside three days. He led India with such energy and vigour that India won the next two tests and stopped the Aussie juggernaut. He also led India with distinction in the ODI’s and was a very aggressive captain. Nobody can forget his shirt swinging while standing on the famed Lords balcony after India chased down a mammoth 325. He led India to the finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where India lost to Australia. He is also credited with mentoring the careers of several young Indian cricketers like Yuvraj, Zaheer and Harbhajan who flowered and flourished during his captaincy.

He is one of the top ODI players in the world having scored over 11000 runs at a very healthy average of over 40. He partnered Sachin Tendulkar at the top and they invariably provided India with a strong start. He could also bowl some handy seam up deliveries and had the knack of picking up wickets at crucial junctures for Team India. His top score of 183 came in the 1999 World Cup in England against Sri Lanka at Taunton.

Later in his career, due poor form and differences with the then coach Greg Chappell led to him being side-lined and eventually being dropped but he made a spectacular comeback to both the test and ODI side. After a disastrous World Cup campaign by India in the West Indies in 2007 his star finally dipped and with the IPL coming in to the picture at around the same time he bade goodbye to international cricket.