VVS Laxman: the irreplaceable silent hero

One of the finest knocks that Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman played was inside the conference room of the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium in Hyderabad on August 18^th. It was built with humility, power, elegance and the usual ingredient in his innings- focus.

He announced retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect; a declaration which came as a surprise even to the chief of selectors K. Srikkanth. It is necessary to point out though, that this was not the farewell the man deserved for the services he meted out to the nation for over 15 years.

V.V.S. Laxman- a class apart!

A day before announcement, a national daily had reported that the veteran player had been hurt by the recent comments in the cricketing circles about his dip in form. However, ironically, he scored a marvellous 169 versus Karnataka State Cricket Association President’s XI. It was obvious from the immediacy of the decision. A newspaper rightly titled its piece on the batsman’s retirement- ‘Retired Hurt’ and it couldn’t be more apt.  

The contemplation for this decision had begun already before the Ind-NZ series and it was expected that his home turf would witness the wristy magician’s last walk on the cricket field. However, and as usual, he managed to surprise. He did that in 2001 when India had almost conceded a defeat and a resilient Laxman scored that gem of 281 to win the match. His innings of 148 versus Australia (probably overshadowed with Rahul Dravid’s 233) epitomized fighting spirit.

He was a silent assassin for the team and set an example with his irreplaceable determination. His hunger to play the game for the ‘team’ elevated him in the league of the extraordinary gentlemen almost from his debut. The quality was witnessed very differently in his match-winning innings of 73 versus Australia at Mohali in 2010. It was a fiery innings when passion his and aggression were particularly visible on the field. Take a look:

In a nutshell, the latter half of this decade has seen three of the holy four cricketers hanging up boots at the right time. His last series in Australia could be one exception in his performances- probably the time he felt the age was catching up to him. Nevertheless, the silent hero would never be forgotten from fans like me.

His successor S.Badrinath, who replaced him, would have a huge responsibility to fulfill. Given his experience in mind, as a fan, I can only hope that he could come up to the levels of the great cricketer.

Thank you VVS for all that you have done for the game. You will surely be missed. 

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‘Cricket stands to lose more if this continues’

Cricket needs to address the player-board run-in (or stand-off) issues at the earliest. The problem in its entirety lies in the adamancy on both the sides. Ultimately, the nation’s cricket is at loss.

Kevin Pietersen’s announcement of retirement from limited overs’ format was certainly a shocker. In his statement Pietersen said, “With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the World Cup in 2015”.

The last two ODIs that he played for England saw him score 111* and 130 respectively against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. His last T20 score was 62 against the same opposition. These not only show the kind of form he carried but a collective loss of England cricket, the board and lastly himself. Certainly, his frequent run-ins with his ‘adopted board’ have led to this decision.

Kevin Pietersen after scoring a century against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi

The England Cricket Board (ECB) had a rule stating that central contract players would have to make themselves available for both formats in the limited overs or nothing. Pietersen, however, was keen on continuing in T20s and quitting ODIs. The board refused and resultantly, the decision was announced by him. "For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming World Twenty20," Pietersen said. His central contract would also be downgraded as he would be only chosen for the Tests henceforth.

A point worth noting- he has not announced his retirement from club cricket and the Indian Premier League. This further would start the never ending club versus country debate and giving impetus to the new concept of freelance cricketers. Chris Gayle was an example to this until sometime back when he wasn’t considered for any national commitments by the West Indies Cricket Board due to their stand-off. Now the differences, although not completely, have been resolved temporarily and he has made himself available for the ODI series against England now. Freelance cricketing is a very disappointing thing to have happened. Imagine the plight of a West Indies cricket fan when he sees Gayle bludgeoning the opposition in club games whereas the national team performs miserably in the batting department!

Such incidents only hurt the game. A balance has to be struck somewhere in between. Alternatives would emerge only when such impressive cricketers go. But players like Pietersen and Gayle have made it to this level due to impressive skill and rigorous training. Nurturing the young guns will take a lot of time and their nation’s performances would be at a greater risk till then. Instead, if the training continues with such players being around, a pool of competitive cricketers would be created making them ready for major events such as the World Cup in 2015.

Rigidity is the least needed thing in such times. ECB must rethink its stance on the central contract and ensure players’ wish as well. Also, it is a sign for other boards not to be egoistic about issues and resolve them quickly for the betterment of the game.

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