Nicknamed Bengal Tiger, Prince of Calcutta and affectionately called Dada (means elder brother in Bengali) by his team-mates and Lord Snooty by his opponents, he is an aggressive player. He made his ODI debut in 1992, but his talents did not truly receive the recognition they deserved until India's 1996 tour of England when he scored consecutive centuries both in his debut Test and the next match (the 2nd and 3rd Tests of the series). He is only the 3rd cricketer ever to score a century on debut at Lord's. Rahul Dravid once commented, "On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly”. He scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, the highest by an Indian in World Cup cricket.He became the Indian captain in 2000 and led them in a record 49 Test Matches, winning 21 of those, including 12 of them outside India. All three figures are records for Indian Test captains.
Name:Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Born: 8 July 1972, Calcutta
Major Teams: Bengal, India, Lancashire.
Known As: Sourav Ganguly
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium
Profile
Saurav Ganguly, the Prince of Calcutta has a fan following of millions and that is justified
considering the number of winning knocks he has played for India. His batting is the perfect
blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed
batsmanship. He is also a superb/ perfect timer of the ball. The manner in which he steps out
and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.
He is one of the most aggressive Captain India has ever had and has emerged as one thekey
components of the Indian team. His ability to play shots on the off side is special because there
are very few players who can hit the ball in that area as crisply as he does. He is an aggressive
left-handed batsman and is also an effective (right-handed) medium pace bowler. He tarted his
international career as a 19 year old during the tour to Australia in 1991-92 where both his ability
and attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was severely criticised as
one of the evils of India's "quota" system. But he answered that in style by not only scoring
centuries in his first two Test innings but also capturing vital wickets to bag the Man of the
series award. Still he was considered fit only for the Test matches because of his inability to
play onside strokes. He worked on that problem and became a household name in India after the
Sahara Cup in Toronto where he won several matches for India against Pakistan. Besides
several superlative batting performance (including 75* in 75 balls), he exploited the conditions to
return some excellent bowling figures (including 5-16). He is often criticised for his running
between the wickets and if he works on that, the way he has worked on his leg-side then he will
definitely become a formidable force in the World of Cricket
With Sachin Tendulkar, he formed what was arguably the most successful opening pair ever in one-day cricket. This pair has the highest number of century partnership (16) for the first wicket. They together have scored 5621 runs at an average of 49.30. His position as opener has now been replaced by Virender Sehwag. He is known for hitting the "big sixes". He is also a useful extra bowler as a medium pacer.
His batting is the perfect blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed batsmanship. With superb timing he almost caresses the ball to the boundary. But when the mood gets to him - particularly in the one day game - his batting can be a murderous assault on the bowlers and a delight to the spectators. The manner in which he steps out and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.
But then Sourav Ganguly is not just strokes and class and powerful batting. He has a sound temperament and the ability to rise to the big occasion. Only a person who is mentally strong could have responded in the manner he did to widespread criticism to his selection for the tour of England in 1996. When he first went as a teenager to Australia in 1991-92 he was far from ready for the big time, despite his manifold gifts. By the time of his comeback, a mixture of talent and hard work had made Ganguly capable of the dream feat with which he launched his Test career. Since then, it has been impossible to envisage an Indian team in both forms of the game without him. On the strength of his figures and undoubted class, he has taken his place as among the `Big Three' of the Indian batting order. Few would deny him his place as probably the greatest Indian left hander of all time. And in the last year, he has also proved himself to be a tough, no nonsense captain. A record of four wins and only one defeat in his first six Test matches as captain - including a memorable series triumph over the formidable Aussies - augurs well for him as a leader.
Sourav Ganguly was a very happy man after India's majestic six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in what many had described as the mother of all battles.
"It was a huge game back home, schools were closed offices were closed and we're so happy we could make everybody smile back in India," a smiling Indian skipper said after the contest, which saw the two sub-continental rivals lock horns in the international arena for the first time in three years.
Ganguly also praised Sachin Tendulkar, whose 75-ball 98 at the top of the order paved the way for the Indian win. "He's been in great form and it's not the first time (that he has played a match-winning innings), he's a champion in one word and the knock he played is one of the best I've seen him play," Ganguly observed.
With India now carrying eight points into the Super Six stage (four for beating one of the qualifiers and four more for their other wins), Ganguly went on to add justifiably that his team now had a bright chance of making the semi-finals.
Tendulkar, who was deservedly named the Man of the Match, meanwhile, rated his match-winning knock as one of his best innings, despite missing his 35th ODI ton after being dismissed by a snorter from Shoaib Akhtar.
"It's obviously one of the most important innings I've played and when it's a World Cup match against Pakistan that makes it a special innings and I'll put it right up there," the little master observed.
"I was picking the line and length quite early today and felt very comfortable there in the middle from the moment of playing the back foot cover drive off Wasim," he added.
Talking about his problems towards the latter half of his innings, Tendulkar said, "I started getting cramps and it went from bad to worse, there was a stage in the game when I even couldn't stand properly."
Losing skipper Waqar Younis, for his part, blamed the Pakistan bowlers. "Looking at the total of 270 it seemed a good one, but unfortunately we didn't bowl that well, we bowled both sides of the wicket."
Sourav makes his test debut against england in 1996 at lord's. He score his century in his very frist match, and shows to the world that the king of kolkata is come to rock the world.
He makes his O.D.I debut in 1991/92 at brisbane against Westindies in world series. He 5221 runs in test with an average of 40.78 he also make 10123 in odi's with an average of 40.65.
The bangak tiger anousand his retirment from both odi's and test cricket at oct 7/2008 when he anouns his retirment he says that “I have informed my team-mates that this series would be my last, he added, "Thank you all for your support. Hopefully I’ll go on a winning note" some in the media ask him on the pressure about his last match he said “Every series has pressures attached to it, you have to play well every time. No one can start as favourites in this series, both have the skills to win.” And he makes century at his last match but anfortunatly he out for 0 in secound innings in his last match.
*** Some achinement from Sourav Ganguly ***
* Ganguly was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000.
* Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the New Zealand-India 5 match ODI series in November 1999.
* Ganguly made a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 1999, which, at that time, was the Highest ODI Score by an
Indian, beating Kapil Dev's Record of 175*.
* Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the Pepsi Cup 1999 (March-April) for scoring 278 runs and taking 6 wickets in total.
* Saurav Ganguly has the distinction of being one of the few players in the World to Score a century and take 4 wickets in the
same match. (ODIs)
* Saurav Ganguly along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket.
* Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership of 252.
* Saurav Ganguly scored a Century on Debut at Lords in 1996, and went on to score a century in the very next match as well.
* Saurav Ganguly was named Sport star Person of the Year 1998. He also won the Arjuna Award in 1998.
* Saurav Ganguly was the Highest Run-Scorer for India in ODIs in 1997.
* In the Sahara Cup 1997, Saurav Ganguly set a new World Record for 5 consecutive Man of the Match Awards. He was also the
Man of the Series
SACHIN TENDULKAR - The name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers all around the world. Hailed as the next Master-blaster following the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards, this man has all the shots in the book, and a few more. There is nothing this man cannot do - he opens the batting for India in the one-dayers, comes at no. 4 in test matches, bowls right arm offbreaks, legbreaks and even googlies (the wrong-un). He also swings the ball both ways when he bowls his medium pacers. It seems he had tried his hands at wicket-keeping too (in his school days), but gave it up in pursuit of what he does best Batting Sachin Thread Cricket is a religion, Sachin is our god
Peofile
Known As: Sachin Tendulkar
Batting Style: Right Hand
Born: 24 April 1973, Bombay
Major Teams: Mumbai, YorkshireBat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break,
Leg Break, Right Arm Medium
The greatest batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar has the cricketing world at his feet. The adulation he commands world over is unsurpassed, perhaps since the days of Don Bradman, to whom of course he has been compared, by no less than the great man himself. While he may not end with a Test career average of 99.94, there is little doubt that based on his vigorous style of batsmanship and his insatiable appetite for runs and big scores, he is the most complete batsman since Vivian Richards. In many ways though he has surpassed even that outstanding West Indian batsman.
When Tendulkar is on song, there is no more majestic sight in the cricketing world. The spectators at the stadium are on their feet cheering while all over the world, TV audiences are glued to the screen. He has scored heavily on all kinds of wickets the world over, in conditions which lesser mortals have not been able to master and against bowlers whom other batsmen have found it difficult to score off. Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable technique, Tendulkar's batting is a dream, combining timing, elegance and power. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge - as he showed when mowing down Shane Warne in India in 1998. Captain during two short stints, Tendulkar has made it clear that he would prefer to concentrate on his batting and indeed, he seems to be getting better with every passing year. Scoring two double centuries in successive seasons and being the first to cross the 10,000 run barrier in ODIs is clear proof of this. The best thing from the fans' point of view - if not the bowler's - is that the entertainment, courtesy Tendulkar, is still at the intermission stage. Long may
`The King' continue to regale his willing subjects!
While his batting ranks him among the best in the world, he is also a part-time bowler and has played a crucial role as a leg spinner or a medium pace bowler who tends to break partnerships. He has more than a hundred wickets in ODIs and 35 in tests, though his bowling averages are above 40. He continues to perform well under the massive weight of expectation of hundreds of millions of cricket followers, in India and around the world, and most recently was named Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.Incidentally, Sachin is the first batsman to be declared run out by third umpire in 1992 in South Af
Some great Achivment in his career are:
* 4th highest tally of runs in test cricket (10,134) at an outstanding average of 57.25 (highest among those who have scored over 8,500 test runs) as of March 2005
* Most runs (over 13642) and centuries (38) in one-day internationals
* Only person to have scored over 11,000 ODI runs and over 25 ODI centuries as of April 28, 2005
* Highest ODI batting average among Indian batsmen and among all batsmen who have scored over 7,500 ODI runs (as of April 3, 2005)
* Most Number of Man of the Matches in one-day internationals
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs in ODIs as of April 2005
* Most Number of Runs in World Cup Cricket History
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs
* Has equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 test centuries.
* Among those who have played over 100 test matches, he is the only one with a batting average above 55.
* Only second Indian to cross 10,000 runs in Test matches.
* He has the most centuries in ODI cricket against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.
* To go with this he has 34 hundreds in Test cricket at an average of 57. An average above 50 distinguishes a batsman as an all time great.
* Highest individual score in ODIs among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999)
*1994: Arjuna Award Receipient for achievements in Cricket
*1997: Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year
*1997/98: India's highest sporting honour - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
*1999: Padma Shri - India's civilian medal of recognition
*2008: Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.
*In August 2003, Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the "Greatest Sportsman" of the country in the sport
personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News.
*In November 2006, Time magazine named Tendulkar as one of the Asian Heroes.
*In December 2006, he was named "Sports person of the Year"
Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 166 271 29 13447 248* 55.56 47 54 55 104 0
ODIs 441 430 40 17398 186* 44.61 20254 85.89 45 93 1902 182 134 0
T20Is 1 1 0 10 10 10.00 12 83.33 0 0 2 0 1 0
First-class 268 422 45 22336 248* 59.24 74 100 172 0
List A 528 515 54 20950 186* 45.44 56 111 169 0
Twenty20 25 25 3 750 69 34.09 599 125.20 0 5 95 17 14 0
Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 166 130 3994 2299 44 3/10 3/14 52.25 3.45 90.7 0 0 0
ODIs 441 267 8020 6817 154 5/32 5/32 44.26 5.10 52.0 4 2 0
T20Is 1 1 15 12 1 1/12 1/12 12.00 4.80 15.0 0 0 0
First-class 268 7359 4191 69 3/10 60.73 3.41 106.6 0 0
List A 528 10196 8445 201 5/32 5/32 42.01 4.96 50.7 4 2 0
Twenty20 25 8 93 123 2 1/12 1/12 61.50 7.93 46.5 0 0 0
Indian cricket player RAHUL DRAVID is a star of today, he has proved that nothing is impossible.Full Name: Rahul Sharad DravidNickname(s): Jammie, The Wall, Mr. DependableDate of birth: 11-01-1973Place of birth: IndoreSun Sign: CapricornSchool and College: St.Joseph's, BangaloreFamily:Dad: Sharad Dravid (Worked for Kissan Jam)Mom : Pushpa Dravid (Prof. for architecture in College)Brother: Vijay Dravid (Engineer, Plays cricket)Wife: Vijeta PendharkarSon: Samit DravidName of his home: SrishtiCareer: Indian Cricket Player (Batsman, occasional bowler and wicketkeeper)Deputy General Manager (In marketing division of India Cements Ltd.)First unofficial century: In school vs. St Anthony's when he was 10 yearsold.Batting Style: Right handedBowling Style: Right arm off breakCricket Gurus: G R Vishwanath, K K Tarapore, Roger Binny and Brijesh PatelODI Debut: Vs. Sri Lanka at Singapore, on 3/4/96Test Debut: India v England at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1996 Rahul Dravid:A player with 11000+ Test runs & 10000+ ODI runs is one of the finest cricketer the world has witnessed;a stalwart in Indian Cricket who gets acknowledged as a perfect gentleman in the gentlemen's game.He is India’s best No3 batsmen,also batted at different positions; kept wickets; captained India & lead to some famous victories, then later resigned. A team man to the core; the sacrifices he made for it are abundant. In his biography also, it was mentioned by Mr N.S.Sidhu that,’’Rahul is a person who will walk on the broken glasses if his team asks him to’’ Some call him 'The Wall', some call him 'Mr. Dependable' & to some he's just 'Jammy'.This community is for all of them. Join us if you believe he is a legend & an icon who inspires millions.
Name: Rahul Dravid
Born: 11 January 1973, Indore
Major Teams: Karnataka, India, Kent.
Known As: Rahul Dravid
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
Other: Wicket-Keepe
Rahul has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical
proficiency & stylish strokes. His strokes are so perfect technically that he is considered as
the "wall" of the Indian Team. His batting style was regarded slow for the ODI’s initially but with
his imaginative placing of the ball & innovative strokes he made himself as an integral part of
the Indian team for both Tests as well as ODI’s. His temperament for both the versions of the
game is exemplary and has earned him respect from all the other players. The Indian Vice
Captain has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. . He was verily the batsman
of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named
as Wisden cricketer of the year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade. His
and beacause of his good looks he always being favorate in girls
Rahul Dravid makes his test debut against England at the crickers home Lord's in 1996.
Rahul Dravid has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency and stylish strokes. In a side bristling with dashing batsmen, he has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. His style of batting was once regarded as too slow for the one day game, but through sheer practice, innovative strokes and imaginative placing of the ball, he has transformed himself into an integral part of the team in the shorter version of the game also. He was verily the batsman of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named as Wisden cricketer of the year last year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade.
For sheer consistency, Dravid has few equals and has maintained a Test career average of over 50. His temparament is exemplary and his concentration legendary. A batsman who revels in a crisis, Dravid, against New Zealand in January 1999, joined the ranks of Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar as one of only three Indians to have scored a century in each innings in a Test. The poor run in Australia in 1999-2000 was only a passing phase and he returned to top form the next season, including notching up his first double century in Tests. His promotion as vice captain was widely acclaimed. Dubbed as ``The Wall'' for obvious reasons, the modest, unassuming and well behaved Dravid is one of the most popular and instantly recognizable players in the land.
Rahul Dravid's Greatest achivment
Dravid named World Player of Year
India batsman Rahul Dravid has been named World Player of the Year at the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) awards. He was chosen by a 50-strong panel of former cricketing greats, national captains, umpires and referees. "It is quite unbelievable, I am really proud," said Dravid, who was also named Test Player of the Year. "I am so happy to be recognised by some really great people."
The batsman, who has also turned his hand to wicketkeeping in the one-day game, received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being the best player in both forms of the game in the year to July 31, 2004.
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was chosen as One-Day International Player of the Year to top off a memorable week for the 26-year-old after his partner gave birth to a baby girl.
"If someone had said three years ago you would be getting One-Day Player of the Year I wouldn't have believed them," said Flintoff, who beat off competition from Australians Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist and India's Sachin Tendulkar. "It has been a special week. I am pinching myself."
Ponting was named captain of both World XIs and asked who would win if there was a game between the one-day XI chosen by the panel and his Australia side, he said: "Probably just the Aussies by a run or two."
The awards, held at London's Alexandra Palace, were
Kumble has a reputation for modesty and quiet confidence - the epitome of a gentleman playing a gentleman's game.At the age of 38 years, with 619 Test wickets and 337 ODI wickets Kumble has finally decided to call it a day. And it is not only for his wicket taking that fans will remember him. Memories remain of the courageous way he walked out of the dressing room in Antigua in 2002 with his jaw bandaged, after it had been fractured while he was batting - and then proceeded to bowl a stirring spell during which he picked up Lara's wicket and not to forget is his Maiden Test Hundred where he scored against England at the Oval which was supposed to be the only hundred by an Indian in that series.Kumble was a quiet achiever - inspiring a generation of young cricketers and his own team mates by his efforts
Name:Anil Kumble
Born: 17 October 1970, Bangalore
Major Teams: Karnataka, Northamptonshire, India, Leicestershire.
Known As: Anil Kumble
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Leg Break Googly
India's main strike bowler of the 90s, Anil Kumble has taken upon the role of both stock bowler and shock bowler for many years now. Like his illustrious predecessor BS Chandrasekhar, he has frequently proved to be a match winner, especially on Indian wickets. On a turning track, Kumble can be pretty unplayable as he mixes his bag of tricks to bamboozle the batsman. Kumble has never been a big spinner of the ball but his accuracy and his enormous variety make him a difficult bowler to handle. Kumble came into the side as a relatively unknown 19-year-old on the tour of England in 1990, was promptly forgotten for a couple of years and was back in the team on the basis of an outstanding Irani Trophy performance in 1992-93. Subsequently on the tour of South Africa he really came of age, a major turning point being his bag of six for 53 in the second Test at Johennesburg.
Less than a month after his 37th birthday, he received the ultimate honour when he was named India's Test captain for the home series against Pakistan. He went on to win the series, the first home triumph against Pakistan in 27 years, before playing a big role in holding the side together during the controversial series in Australia. He was also India's leading wicket-taker with 20 in the four Tests.
His form, however, slipped during the tour of Sri Lanka and there were calls for him to quit after a wicketless performance in the Bangalore Test against Australia. A shoulder injury added fuel to the fire and an upset Kumble reacted sharply, saying that he had it in him to continue for a while longer. However, he changed his mind during the Delhi Test and announced his retirement, fittingly at his favourite venue. He finished his career as the third-highest Test wicket-taker (619), behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
Anil Kumbale makes his test debut at manchester against England in test he take perfect 10 wickets of pakistan and becomes the frist man who takes ten out of ten in test cricket history he took 10/74 and because of his performans india won that match.
Anil Kumble bowled his last ball for India as the third Test with Australia ended in a draw.
The India skipper announced his retirement before calling a halt to India's second innings on 208 for five, a lead of 244.
That left a possible 23 overs remaining in the day and Kumble came out to bowl four wicketless overs before the captains shook hands.
VVS Laxman had backed up his first innings double hundred with a an unbeaten half-century in the second earlier on the fifth day.
Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson raised faint hopes of a dramatic Australian victory with a wicket apiece in the morning session, but that prospect was ground into the dust at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Gautam Gambhir (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (47) kept India afloat until Laxman (57 not out) and Sourav Ganguly (32 not out) led India to their declaration total deep into the final session.
That left Australia with the improbable task of chasing 245 for victory and Kumble opened proceedings with the new ball.
Matthew Hayden (16 not out) and Simon Katich (14 not out), however, denied the prolific leg-spinner a final hurrah as they reached 31 for no loss when stumps were drawn after eight overs had been bowled.
Kumble shook hands with his team-mates, both Australian batsman and the umpires at the end and was carried around the ground on the shoulders of his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni for one last farewell at the Kotla, a venue which had brought him immense success.
The result means India take a 1-0 lead into the fourth and final Test at Nagpur, which starts on Friday, but Australia have a chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy should they win there.
Some achivement for Anil Kumbale
Mohali, March 11
A wave of jubilation swept through the Indian camp when Anil Kumble trapped England tailender Steve Harmison lbw to join the select band of bowlers to claim 500 Test wickets. As umpire Simon Taufel upheld the lbw appeal, the 35-year-old Kumble jumped in the air and pumped his fists in celebration. Though denied a hat-trick, Kumble went on to claim the last wicket of Monty Panesar to complete another five-wicket haul.
The other bowlers to have already achieved the 500-wicket feat are Shane Warne (Australia - 659), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka- 600), Glenn McGrath (Australia- 542) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies- 519).
The Indian leg-spinner, scourge of batsman the world over and the architect of so many Indian victories at home and abroad, emerged the second fastest to complete the 500-wicket mark in terms of number of Tests played.
The current Test at the PCA Stadium is the wily spinner’s 105th match.
Warne, the leading wicket-taker in Test history, is way ahead of other bowler with 659 scalps in his kitty. Muralitharan joined Warne as only the second bowler in the history of the game to cross the 600-wicket mark during the Bogra Test against minnows Bangladesh.
In quest of the rare honour, Kumble started the proceedings today with pacer Munaf Patel. Though he came close to taking a wicket on a couple of occasions, the Karnataka leggie went wicketless in th pre-lunch session. But he triggered a batting collapse immediately after the lunch break. Operating with the new ball with Munaf, Kumble castled Jones to reach the figure of 499. Then he got rid of Harmison and Panesar to take his tally to 501. Kumble’s second spell read 1.4-0-2-3.
For someone who made his Test debut in 1990 at Old Trafford, it has been a peerless saga of success achieved through sheer determination and hard work. During the 16 years that he has been on the international stage for the country, Kumble has numerous occasions to cherish, the foremost among these being the 10-wicket haul against arch-rivals Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla. Though he has lost berth in the one-day squad, Kumble is a vital component in the Test squad. Kapil Dev with 434 wickets is the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests.
An ecstatic Kumble later said it was his self belief, perseverance and support by team-mates which kept him going. “There were doubts created by various people but I never doubted my abilities,” he said.
“It is a great feeling to be able to reach the milestone as the first Indian and only the fifth bowler in the history of the game. I owe it to all the cricketers I have played with,” he observed
Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman
Born: 1 November 1974, Hyderabad
Major Teams: Hyderabad, India.
Known As: VVS Laxman
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
Profile:
V.V.S. Laxman is a stylish right-hander from Hyderabad who will always be remembered for the fine knock of 167 he scored in the third Test against Australia at Sydney in January 2000. Since his debut he has been in and out of the Indian team but one of the main reasons for that is that he is unable to have a secure batting position. To be fair to Laxman, he is not a natural opening batsman and has had the job thrust upon him. Laxman's fine technique however makes him a safe bet to open the innings. Some people have labeled him as a Test batsmen who cannot bat aggressively hence have marked him unfit for the one dayers.
This however is not true as his aggressive nature is visible even in the Test matches. Laxman may lack some of the glamour that is associated with some of his teammates but he prefers to be what he is - a quietly efficient and determined cricketer. He is a batsman for whom patience, timing and technique are of utmost importance.
The term 'Hyderabadi stylist' is one that is not new to Indian cricket. First popularised by the late ML Jaisimha, an attacking batsman, the mantle was taken over for many years by Mohammed Azharuddin. Today, VVS Laxman has honourably made the title his own. A spate of high scores in the 1999-2000 Ranji Trophy season, including ten centuries in as many first class matches, confirmed Laxman's pedigree and penchant for tall scores. In Test cricket however, apart from a sparkling 167 against Australia at Sydney in a losing cause, Laxman had done little to show that he was a world beater. All that changed dramatically when the Australians toured India in early 2001.
Going into the series with a Test average of just under 28, Laxman was not a major cause of concern for the Aussies. In a rare display of attacking yet consistent batting, Laxman notched up 503 runs at an average of over 83. More than the sheer volume of runs scored, it was the manner in which he made his record breaking 281 at Kolkata that will remain etched in memory for years to come. It was a flawless innings under pressure that changed the complexion of a whole series, and signaled the emergence of a new batting hero. Laxman's 281 surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's record innings of 236 not out against West Indies at Madras in 1983 as the highest Test score by an Indian. Riding on the back of Laxman's efforts, India pulled off a sensational 2-1 win in a closely contested series. Spurred on by the success in Tests, Laxman was a changed man in the one-dayers, scoring his maiden ton in the fifth match against the Aussies at Goa. In short, the series against Australia changed Laxman's destiny as a cricketer. Rather, Laxman rewrote Indian cricket's destiny at the expense of the Australians.
Test Debut:India v South Africa at Ahmedabad, 1st Test, 1996/97
ODI Debut:India v Zimbabwe at Cuttack, Pepsi Triangular Series, 1997/98
