Australian media goes ga-ga over Laxman
16 March 2001
Forced for once to forget the victory run of their team, Australian
media showered lavish praise on the feat of V V S Laxman - a double
century effort which not only pulled India out of a possible innings
defeat but also earned them a remarkable win.
"Winning streak over, barring miracle," predicted the banner headline
by prominent sports writer Michael Donaldson. "Laxman, the son of two
doctors reputedly scored 98 percent for science in his school-leaving
exams. His 275 has dissected the Australian fielders with the
exactitude of a surgeon's scalpel."
Such study into Laxman's background by the media was only apt given
the damage done to Australia's winning mission "following his kiss of
death laid on the tourists."
"If he had been born in Australia, say in Victoria," wrote news agency
AAP, "V V S Laxman would be known as something like Wangaratta Wally
Jesus Laxman" which translated could simply mean "Very Very Special."
The research put into nomenclature further surfaced, when the report
dwelt on how the Hyderabadi earned his name - "His name is taken from
the village in which he was born Vangipurappu, his father's name
Venkata and the god the family worships, Sai".
Obviously they got the father's name part wrong as down South in
Andhra Pradesh, the father's name does not figure in their children.
Venkata is after the Lord at Tirupati and Sai is after the saint of
Shirdi. The last part, Laxman, is his name.
Another writer of repute, Peter Roebuck could be held
guilty of flattery after the way he described the play of Laxman in
India's second innings when they were faced with the ignominy of a
follow on.
"It resembled a glass of beer taken as the sun set across a pleasing
landscape....Laxman did not appear to be walking through a field of
nettles, the impression generally given by batsmen facing the
Australian attack. Rather he seemed to be striding confidently towards
a destination within his reach."
"Few could step down the pitch to Warne to drive a leg-spinner landing
outside the leg-stump through the covers. Few could late cut
McGrath...few could bat so long in such a commanding style", Few would
disagree with these words of Roebuck bordering close to poetry.
Apparently, Laxman has become a poetic muse of sorts for cricket
writers Down Under.
© PTI