Why are we Suprised ???

Why are we surprised ??? So what if VVS saves the day yet again ??? We just have to wait for him to fail once to be dropped! And that should not be too difficult to arrange if he has to come in to bat at 6 or 7 and either the tail-enders leave him stranded or he plays too aggressively and gets out.

But the Selectors rather a bunch of Jokers, as once famously Quoted by Mohinder Amarnath will keep him for the Australian tour because they know he is the only Indian batsman who can counter-attack the Australian bowlers on bouncy tracks and the other batsmen will have to play around him if we are to show some mettle, as we did when we went there last.

Laxman's place being even debated in our country is indeed a shame - he has rarely been made to feel secure in this line up and often times ridiculous names of players with a flash-in-the-pan performance has been discussed in the same breath.

But surely, Yuvaraj is playing with far more responsibility, class and consistency ... He also needs to be blended into the equation somehow but not at the cost of making a very, very special Laxman feel the heat.

Couple of days back, Mohinder Amarnath, the master of comebacks, made a telling statement on Neo Sports. When queried about the fact that in recent times, VVS has been under pressure every time he walks out to bat for India, he said, 'That speaks poorly of the state of Indian cricket. He should be an automatic choice for the kind of player he is'. I could not help reflecting that this was true in Jimmy's own case at many points in his Illustrious career.

What is heartening though is that this situation has actually impelled Laxman to dig deeper and show character apart from class, which is good for Indian cricket.

Till few days back every one was saying "why is laxman in the team and Yuvraj out?"... On the Second day of the Delhi Test Match Laxman played a straight drive off tanveer which should answer this question ...

Laxman, is so easy on eyes he often goes unnoticed ... Its a pity that india have not utilized his servcies in the one day cricketing Format ... He is one man who enjoys rather relishes the challenges ... Remember, last time India toured australia, he was just unstoppable and Not often you hear Ricky Ponting say, we are not able to find a way to get him out.

Laxman has been and will remain the Rodney Dangerfield of Indian cricket ... Gets no respect but always delivers ... Not comic relief but relief to Indian fans, who after yet another spectacular middle order collapse know that until Laxman is around, there is hope. And to add to the charm - be it cameos of 30-70 or great knocks of 167 and 281 ...Its always done with style.

The reason I'm there is the sheer beauty he brings to the game ... A Laxman defensive shot also oozes grace and silken touch. Forget scores, winning knocks, his inumerale innings while batting with the tail, his great slip catches ... He should be there playing international cricket for the pleasure --- a cricketers' cricketer!

During the last Ashes series ... Geoffrey Boycott said one thing to his fellow commentator ... "Have you seen the battle between Shane Warne and VVS laxman at Kolkata in 2001 ... It was one of the Most outstanding battles ever fought on the cricketing field ... Shane Warne was bowling round the wicket on the 4th day , pitching the ball in rough , his leg breaks turning miles and at other end Laxman was somehow managing to get his right foot to pitch of the ball and he would drive it through mid on, picking it from off stump" ... This is what class is all about !!!

At another Test match ... Shane Warne was bowling and Ravi Shahstri was the commentator ... Warne was bowling over the stumps.. laxman kinda rushed to the front foot and the ball was leg stumpish then he quickly moved on to the back foot and Gloriously picked up that ball from offstump and drove it through Mid on ... The way he managed was simply awesome and after watching that drive Ravi shashtri commented "it would take Me 25 more years to see any English player playing such a kinda stroke"

And finally ending it with a Steve waugh's quote ...

"If you get Dravid, great. If you get Sachin, brilliant but If you get Laxman, it's a miracle." Brett Lee repeats the words of wisdom of his former captain, Steve Waugh

Tyrannosaurus Rex: Extinct 65 million years ago
Irish Deer: Extinct about 7,700 years ago
Cave Lion: one of the largest lions ever - Extinct 2,000 years ago
Aurochs: a very large type of cattle - Extinct Since 1627
Dodo: the archetype of extinct species - Extinct Since 1650
Steller's Sea Cow: the defenseless beast - Extinct Since 1768
Great Auk: largest of all auks - Extinct Since 1844
Quagga: half zebra, half horse - Extinct Since 1883
Thylacine: the Tasmanian Tiger - Extinct Since 1936
Caspian Tiger: the third largest - Extinct Since 1970
Vangivarapu Venkata Sai Laxman - Extinct Since 2006 from ODI's
Very Very Special Laxman: Declared Endangered Species - Please save and support him

P.S: If 6 6's in an over deserves a PORCHE then the 281 at Eden deserves TWO.