RoastedLinuxVery very special performance from Laxman and company
October 31st 2008 00:21
In an age where Australian Cricket has ruled all others, VVS Laxman, more often than not, has taken it upon himself to put the Baggy Green’s famed bowling attack back in its place.
Today was a classic exhibition of why that is, as the tall batsman flicked deliveries all around the ground in his usual wristy style. His cover drive off Stuart Clark in the fourth over of the day set the tone perfectly for an Indian line-up destined to wrap up the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
Sure, Laxman may not match the excitement of watching Sachin Tendulkar at times but when he registers runs early, Laxman gets on with the job with pure elegance.
One of the most impressive things about the batsman is that he's scored so many of his runs against Australia.
Of all his 6254 runs in Test cricket, 2077 have now been scored against the side who since 1999, have only lost two test series, coming at an average of 54.65.
Six of his 13 hundreds have come against the Aussies, suggesting Laxman really is a man for the occasion - down under anyway.
His dominance on day two of the third test in Delhi was exhibited by a strike rate of almost 70 as he played to the situation - as time wore on and the need for a declaration increased, Laxman hit out hard, yet with poise, to propel India to the biggest possible total.
As per usual though, for Laxman to shine, a foundation needed to be placed and it was fulfilling once again to see it placed by Gautam Gambhir - the revelation in this test series.
His 206 put India in cruise control long before Laxman ever got going. But when Laxman did get on a roll, history was to be made as it was the first time that India had registered two double hundreds in the same innings as the benefit of winning the toss was fully exploited.
Although Gambhir and Laxman dominated headlines, India’s tail once again waged big-time.
He didn't manage to oust his bunny Hayden yesterday but Zaheer Kahn kept denting aussie spirits, hitting 28 runs from just 21 balls, allowing Laxman to register his double century just before the declaration.
All he needed to do was drop the singles to hand the strike to Laxman, but instead he went after the Australian bowlers and hammered the Australian attack.
Despite the flair and spice India have put on this test series, one downer from the home side’s perspective are their own fans.
Its been two days in a row where India have played in front of a stadium less than half full, and that in the world's fifth largest city in terms of population.
For a nation on the verge of loosening Australia’s grip on international cricket, these are poor crowds.
Indeed Part of the problem could be the cost with the world’s financial crisis and what not.
But this stadium was packed to the rafters for every Indian Premier League match.
It seems even the most cricket obsessed nation is growing tired of five day spectacles between two of the strongest teams on the planet.
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