4. VVS Laxman
Profile
Full name: Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman
Born: November 1, 1974, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Current age: 39 years 27 days
Major teams: India, Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad (India),Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Lancashire
Nickname: Very Very Special
Playing role: Top-order batsman
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm offbreak
Education: Little Flower High School, St. John’s School
His nickname should tell you all you need to know about fanatix’s number four pick for the top 10 Indian batsmen of all time.
At his sublime best, VVS Laxman is a sight for the gods. Wristy, willowy and sinuous, he can match – sometimes even better – Tendulkar for strokeplay.
His on-side game is comparable to his idol Azharuddin’s, yet he is decidedly more assured on the off side and has the rare gift of being able to hit the same ball to either side.
The Australians, who have suffered more than most, paid the highest compliment after India’s 2003-04 tour Down Under by admitting they did not know where to bowl to him.
Laxman, a one-time medical student, finally showed signs of coming to terms with his considerable gifts in March 2001, as he tormented Steve Waugh’s thought-to-be-invincible Australians with a majestic 281 to stand the Kolkata Test on its head.
But even though he had another wonderful series against the Australians in 2003-04 with two centuries, one of them involving a back-from-the-dead, match-winning, 300-plus partnership with Kolkata ally Rahul Dravid at Adelaide, he hasn’t quite managed the consistency that could have turned him into a batting great.
Watch VVS Laxman score 281 against Australia in 2001.
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