http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772 Laxman - Part 2 - Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
This in no way means that Laxman did not have a voracious appetite for quick scoring. Like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ricardo-Lloyd-Powell-c84827, Laxman was a prudent ODI batsman. Sadly, his tweak with the limited overs version of the game slowly weathered away with age. His penchant for the five-day format however, was reflected in the fact that his ODI match winning performances were insignificant as compared to what he achieved in white clothing.
In a nutshell, Laxman was one of the best Test match batsmen in the history of cricket. He was one of the few players who could come up with an innings of substance on any wicket. It could be the hard bouncy surface of the WACA or the dustbowl of the Wankhede Stadium, Laxman remained by a distance, the most unflustered of all Indian players. His most prized contribution to Test cricket however, was a momentous innings of 281 that he smashed against a buoyed Australian outfit at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It was an astonishing feat, and bettered by only a few others. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-Killeen-c79132 instinct, which ironically came from a man, who never believed in bashing the ball out of the park.
One can whisper it, but cricket would definitely be poor without him. He might not receive the same accolades as Tendulkar, Ganguly or Dravid, but Laxman remains by far, India’s most artistic batsman. For those who are bereft of watching an old classical batsman who was pleasing to the eye, going through a Laxman highlight on television or the internet, would address the deprivation. He was truly a sight for the gods and will be sorely missed.
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