Laxman's Retirement - A Huge Blow to Indian Test Cricket

When the name VVS Laxman came to your mind, you would think of a classy and wristy batsman who played Test cricket. Yes he was a distinguished batsman in this format but he was also an icon for all those upcoming stars in this kind of competitive cricket. He was known for his wristy curving of the ball but he had the most essential element of Test cricket i.e. patience. He had a lot of patience. And he was the one to back on in dire straits. That is why he was nicknamed “Mr. Dependable.”

He is considered one of the greatest and most dependable batsmen of all times, alongside stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. He is second on the list of Indian batsmen to have managed well on abroad pitches, Rahul Dravid being the first on the list.

He recently retired just before the recently held India- New Zealand two Test series. When asked why he took this decision so quickly, he told “I listened to my Inner voice which told me to retire”, he says. He also told that he wasn’t able to co- operate with Captain Cool MS Dhoni. With Laxman retired, the Indian team is facing two blows- one is the retirement of Dravid and the other one is Laxman’s retirement. They may have a replacement for him in the Indian team, but in real, there will not be any replacement for VVS Laxman ever.

Salute to maiden win of 1983

On 2nd April 2011, Dhoni’s men created history by bringing home the world cup after 28 yrs. This was a dream come true for a billion Indians. Everybody is praising the team and we all are very proud of what our team has achieved.
Although this a great achievement, I feel 1983 was even more special. It was India’s first World Cup win and it created a strong base for a huge fan following for cricket in India. It was only after 1983 that cricket became almost another religion in India.
Let us have a glimpse of two of the most important matches of 1983 World Cup in tribute to its memory.
In the first two World Cups, India were “underdogs”. But after Kapil Dev was given captaincy in the 1983 World Cup, he strived to make sure India got through every game they played.

India vs. Zimbabwe
This was one match in which India avoided a humiliating defeat where Kapil Pajji’s inning of lifetime saved the day for India. Kapil Dev thought Zimbabwe was an easy team to defeat. But Zimbabwe had different game plans. India was in dire straits at the ridiculous figures of 17 for 5. Even getting fifty runs on board seemed impossible. Then the Indian Captain, Kapil Dev walked in. He played like a man possessed. It was the mother of all innings. He played an unbeaten knock of 175 runs with 6 soaring sixes. He got valuable support from Roger Binny to get to a decent score and then eventually India won the match. That is the beauty of this game. No one can tell the result until the last ball of the match is bowled.

Finals against West Indies
25th June 1983. The historical Lord’s ground. The moment India had been waiting for.
A   place in the final! This is it! The final had started! India vs. the West Indies. The Indians batted first. India stumbled at 183! 184 didn’t matter much for two times World Champions West Indies. They already were ready for a hat trick in winning World Cups. Oh! What a turn of events! The bowlers Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath bowled well. The turning point was an amazing catch of Vivian Richards which Kapil Dev took by running 33 yards backwards and Mohinder Amarnath’s two important wickets of Dujon and Marshall. West Indies were bowled over in 140. Kapil Dev’s intelligent captaincy and a great team effort created history. The Underdogs sneaked away the World Cup. Mohinder Amarnath was awarded the prestigious “Man of the Match” award.

My Salute to the great team of 1983 that defeated the big guns West Indies and brought the first world cup for us.