India without the Wall and VVS

Having grown up in the era where I have been used to seeing Dravid and Laxman bat whenever India played a Test, it would be quite unusual to see an Indian Test team without these stalwarts. They were not just important for the Indian middle order but were a key component of the slip cordon too. If it is a Test match, the slip cordon is definitely the lifeline for the pace bowlers. So it is imperative that they have specialist fielders in there. VVS and Dravid were those fielders for India. If Dravid was “the Wall”, then Laxman was always very very special. Though both of them won numerous Test matches for India, their match-winning partnership in the Eden Test against Australia in 2001 was by far the best. India were made to follow-on and might have faced an innings defeat. Sadly for the Aussies, these gentlemen had other plans. They forged a partnership of well over 300 runs which not just saved India of an innings defeat in front of a capacity crowd, but also gave India a substantial lead, which in the end proved too much for the Aussies.

They had their own style of playing, but had one thing in common; both always remained calm under pressure. If Dravid was more of a compact player and had a solid defence, Laxman was the more flashy one with minimum feet movement; his classy cover drives were a treat to watch. He had an amazing ability to flick balls pitched way outside the off stump towards the legside. Both occupied key positions in the batting line up. Dravid came in at the crucial no. 3 position, and had the job of building the innings. Laxman came in at 6, and his role was more of an accumulator. He played his part really well especially with the tail-enders around. Though VVS scored much fewer runs compared to Dravid, that was mainly because he got to bat with the tail-enders more often than not. He still managed to score a huge amount of runs, which speaks volumes of his class. Owing to this quality he was always considered special and India’s go-to man in the time of a crisis. Dravid scored tons of runs against every opposition and on tracks all around the world. Laxman on the other hand had a special liking for the Aussies, who feared him more than the great Sachin.

The loss of Dravid and Laxman has definitely left a void in India’s once-reputed middle order. Suddenly, it looks brittle for it does not have the solidarity of Dravid and calmness and composure of Laxman. We have got new talents in their place, but they are also aware that they have really big shoes to fill. I fear that the younger lot is from the T20 era, and do not have patience. One of the most important keys to the success of these batting legends was their patience, which the younger lot doesn’t have. If one has to score heavy in Test cricket, one has to play patiently, respecting the good balls and punishing the loose ones. After all, Test cricket is the real cricket.