281 - A MAGIC

THE YEAR WAS 2001 AND AUSTRALIA TOURED INDIA FOR A 3 MATCH TEST SERIES. STEVE WAUGH SAID THAT IT IS FINAL FRONTIER AND CAME WITH  A FORMIDABLE TEAM TO WIN A TEST SERIES IN INDIA WHICH NO OTHER TEAM COULD DO AFTER 1970. THEY WERE THE TEAM TO BEAT. THEY WON 15 TESTS IN A ROW AND WITH THE FIRST TEST WIN IN MUMBAI, IT BECAME 16. THE SECOND TEST MATCH  IN KOLKATA ON THE 15th OF MARCH SIGNIFIED THE ARRIVAL OF THE TEAM THAT REALLY DEFINED THE PHRASE "NEVER GIVE UP". THE INDIAN TEAM SNATCHED THE VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT AND ALSO PUT AN END TO STEVE WAUGH'S WINNING STREAK OF 16 MATCHES IN A ROW. ONE OF THE MAJOR REASON FOR THAT WIN WAS "THE VERY VERY SPECIAL 281"FROM A VERY VERY SPECIAL BATSMAN.

                                  AUSTARLIA BATTED FIRST AND SCORED 445, AND IN REPLY INDIA SCORED 171 WITH A TRAIL OF 274 RUNS. AUSTRALIA ENFORCED FOLLOW ON. 

THE INDIANS STARTED THEIR SECOND INNINGS WITH MUCH MORE DETERMINATION. VVS LAXMAN CAME TO BAT AT NUMBER 3. LAXMAN FORMED MINI PARTNERSHIPS WITH SHIV SUNDAR DAS, SACHIN TENDULKAR AND SOURAV GANGULY. THEN CAME HIS BEST FRIEND AND A LIKE TO LIKE MAN "THE WALL" RAHUL DRAVID. THE 4th DAY OF THE TEST MATCH IS GENERALLY CONSIDERD THE MOVING DAY OF THE TEST MATCH, THE PARTNERSHIP OF 376 RUNS MADE SURE THAT INDIA WENT AHEAD OF THE AUSSIES AND FROM THAT POINT ONLY ONE TEAM CAN WIN THE MATCH. LAXMAN GOT OUT ON 281 AND DRAVID SCORED A GRITTY 180.

                                 VVS LAXMAN 281 WAS ONCE IN A LIFE TIME INNINGS, A REWARD FOR A MAN OF EXTRA ORDINARY SKILL AND  ONE OF THE FINEST TEAM PLAYERS YOU WILL SEE.AS MURALI KARTIK ONCE FAMOUSLY SAID " IF SACHIN IS THE GOD OF CRICKET, THEN VVS IS THE ANGEL WE ALL STRIVE TO BE". LAXMAN'S BATTING IS ALL ABOUT HAPPINESS, JOY, DIGNITY. HE NEVER BATS IN ANGER. THE SHOTS THAT HE PLAYED TO SCORE 281 RUNS CAN ONLY BE PLAYED BY THE VERY SPECIAL VVS.

 HE PLAYED PULL SHOT, HOOK SHOT, ON DRIVE, OFF DRIVE, SQUARE DRIVE, COVER DRIVE, STRAIGHT DRIVE, LEG GLANCE, WHIP THROUGH MID WICKET, FRONT FOOT COVER DRIVE AGAINST LEG SPIN AND FRONT FOOT ON DRIVE AGAINST LEG SPIN. YOU NAME THEM AND HE PLAYED THEM ALL. IT WAS AN EXHIBITION OF CRICKETING SHOTS.

VVS CAN DITCATE TERMS. HE CAN DRIVE THE SAME BALL TO COVERS AND WHIP IT TO MID WICKET THE VERY NEXT BALL.

THE COVER DRIVE AGAINST GLENN MCGRATH, THE SQUARE CUT AGAINST JASON GILLESPIE, THE ON DRIVE AGAINST MICHAEL KAPROWICZ, THE BARRAGE OF SHOTS AGAINST SHANE WARNE WERE A SIGHT TO WATCH. AUSTRALIA TRIED 9 DIFFERENT BOWLERS TO DISMISS HIM ON THE DAY 4 BUT WITH NO SUCCESS. 

                            VVS LAXMAN WAS THE CRICKET LOVER'S CRICKETER. THE PERSON HE IS GET DEFLECTED IN THE WAY LAXMAN BATTED. ONE OF THE FINEST HUMAN BEINGS TO PLAY THE GAME OF CRICKET. ONCE HARSHA BHOGLE SAID "VVS IS ALWAYS THE ARTSIT AND NEVER A SUPERSTAR".

                          INDIA WON THE MATCH BY A MARGIN OF 171 RUNS, WITH 6.3 OVERS TO SPARE. IT WAS A HISTORIC WIN. IT WAS THE THIRD INSTANCE IN THE HISTORY OF TEST CRICKET THAT A TEAM WON THE MATCH AFTER ASKED TO FOLLOW ON. INDIA WON THE THIRD TEST IN CHENNAI AND WON THE SERIES 2-1.

A VERY VERY SPECIAL INNINGS FROM A VERY VERY SPECIAL PLAYER.