Show respect to the Legends

Just how often over the past decade have we seen this. Former players, the media and so-called cricket fans calling for Laxman to be axed. And in the subsequent game, Laxman rising from the ashes and conjuring up a match winning knock, or should we say, a career saving knock. What happens then. These very people shamelessly shower him with accolades, hailing him as 'Very Very Special Laxman', the 'Crisis man' and so on.

Now, in the aftermath of yet another terrible start down under, the former cricketers have again started calling for Laxman's head. It is ironic these talks come up in series against a country he has had hell a lot of success. He has been the most feared batsman in the Aussie camps of the past decade and a half. He has been a thorn in their flesh, scoring six centuries, three of them at Sydney itself and has played many a match winning knock. And of course, who can after all forget the innings of 281 which was the turning point of Indian cricket.

Even in the last innings at Sydney he made batting look ridiculously easy. There are few pleasant sights in cricket than his elegant cover drive or a wristy flick. It was as if Laxman and Tendulkar were batting on a different wicket from the rest. At the MCG, when Dravid and Tendulkar were batting at 200 odd for 2, it looked as though India was poised for a big lead. But what happened, as soon as the legends were dismissed, it was a familiar story, the great Indian collapse after Tendulkar's wicket.

Just last year, on a green Durban strip, when the ball was swinging like a banana, Laxman single handedly won us the match. He was the highest scorer on either side in both the innings. And a few months before that, he won us a thriller at Mohali against Aus rallying with the tail after a match winning fourth innings century in Sri Lanka a little while earlier.

He is probably the batsman who has won the most no of test matches for India. The statistics might show he has only 8000 runs. But what they don't show is the context of the game in which they were made. He relishes pressure, and seems to be missing the thrill while playing in the first innings. How many countless second innings heroics have we seen from Laxman.

It's not just Laxman who has been a victim of this. This has happened to the other legends too.

Already we are facing a crisis at the No.6 spot vacated by Ganguly. We have been struggling to fill it for the last 3 years. Even today if Ganguly were to step out of the commentary box and don the whites he would the best possible no. 6 for India. But he has had his share of humiliation and didn't want to face any more ignominy. He said enough was enough and exited on his own terms, when on a high.

Barely 12 months back, people were gunning for Rahul Dravid's head. After a series of low scores by his own standards, there talks that his time was over, should India look into the future. What happened after that. A series winning knock in the Carribean, and then then three centuries in a dream tour of England, a nightmare tour for the others. How good the English attack was, they failed to get past the wall but for the DRS howlers. Since then the same people who had written him off earlier had no qualms about showering praises on him.

It is a pity these legends have to keep proving themselves to the world time and again.

If we just peep into the enemy camp Ponting and Hussey were almost in a similar situation where their career was on the line. And how majestically they showed at the MCG and the SCG around crumbling youngsters, that Class doesn't vanish overnight.

Legends know when to retire. After all they have served the nation for more than 15 years. They know the most about their game and the game of cricket more than we do. They know what is good for Indian cricket and when to retire.

This week at Perth, it wouldn't be surprising if Laxman rises like a phoenix again, and makes yet another match winning score against his favourite adversary. And of course, we would see again the former players and headlines in the news saying ‘Class is permanent', ‘Experience is what matters', India's unsung hero, the second innings man, blah blah blah.

 

Just came across this quote, couldn't help but cite it.

"If you get Dravid, great. If you get Sachin, brilliant. If you get Laxman, it's a miracle."

      - Brett Lee repeats the words of wisdom of his former captain, Steve Waugh 27 Sep 2004.