VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman
Laxman in 1999
Personal information
Full name
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman
Born (1974-11-01) 1 November 1974 (age 50)
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present–day Telangana), India
NicknameVery Very Special
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off spin
RoleTop-order batsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 209)20 November 1996 v South Africa
Last Test24 January 2012 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 112)9 April 1998 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI3 December 2006 v South Africa
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1992/93–2012/13Hyderabad
2007–2009Lancashire
2008/09Otago
2008–2010Deccan Chargers
2011Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 134 86 267 173
Runs scored 8,781 2,338 19,730 5,078
Batting average 45.97 30.76 51.64 34.54
100s/50s 17/56 6/10 55/98 9/28
Top score 281 131 353 153
Balls bowled 324 42 1,835 698
Wickets 2 0 22 8
Bowling average 63.00 34.27 68.50
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0
Best bowling 1/2 3/11 2/42
Catches/stumpings 135/– 39/– 277/1 74/–
Medal record
Men's Cricket
Representing  India
ICC Champions Trophy
Winner 2002 Sri Lanka
ACC Asia Cup
Runner-up 2004 Sri Lanka
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 30 January 2012

Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman (pronunciation; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian former international cricketer and a former cricket commentator and pundit.[1] A right-handed batsman known for his elegant stroke play, Laxman played as a middle-order batsman in Test cricket. Laxman is currently the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), and the head coach of the India Under-19 and India A teams. Laxman was a member of the Indian team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, which the title was also shared with Sri Lanka.

Laxman is one of the few players to have played 100 Test matches, without ever appearing in a Cricket World Cup. Despite being a relatively slow runner between the wickets, Laxman compensated with his stroke play and fast scoring. In 2002, he was named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.

In domestic cricket, Laxman represented Hyderabad. He also played for Lancashire in county cricket. He was also the captain of the Deccan Chargers team in the Indian Premier League during its inaugural season.[2] Later, he played for the Kochi Tuskers team. He was the mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad until 2021. He is popularly called the 'God of 4th Innings' for his exploits in Tests.[3]

In 2011, Laxman was awarded the Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian award.[4] In 2012, he retired from international cricket.[5]

  1. ^ "VVS Laxman". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Deccan Chargers Squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Guess how many sixes VVS Laxman hit in his career, you will be shocked to know". WION. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ "VVS Laxman conferred with Padma Shri". Zee News. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Laxman retires from international cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2012.