‘A name synonymous with elegance and resilience' - Cricket fraternity extends warm wishes to VVS Laxman on his 49th birthday

Legendary India batter Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman is celebrating his 49th birthday on November 1, 2023. He is currently serving as the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, and the head coach of the India Under-19 and India A teams. 

Laxman was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), and is the great-grandnephew of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India. He enrolled in an undergraduate medical program after completing his schooling but ultimately decided to pursue a career in cricket.

Laxman, a right-hand batter with a reputation for elegant strokeplay, batted in the middle order in Test cricket. He made his Under-19 debut for India against Australia in February 1994. Meanwhile, he made his debut in international cricket in a home Test series against South Africa in November 1996.

Laxman, who is renowned for his heroics and is dubbed the "God of 4th Innings," has amassed 8781 runs from 134 Test matches at a strike rate of 49.37 and an average of 45.97 and has seven centuries and 56 half-centuries. He amassed 2338 runs, six tons, and ten fifties at an average of 30.76 in 86 ODIs. He was a very occasional bowler at the Test level who claimed just two wickets in his tenure, one against Pakistan, and the other against the West Indies.

Laxman is one of the few players with 100 Test appearances but no ODI World Cup experience. He made up for his slower pace between the wickets with his stroke play and quick scoring. He has excellent timing and a remarkable ability to place the ball in tight spots while handling both pace and spin with equal proficiency. His wrist technique was particularly proficient, enabling him to distribute the ball to all parts of the field.

In domestic cricket, Laxman has played for Hyderabad and also represented Lancashire in county cricket. In addition, captained the Deccan Chargers (now defunct), a former Indian Premier League (IPL) team, in its inaugural season and played for the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers. He served as the mentor of the 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, until 2021. 

He was a part of the Indian side that shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. He was awarded the Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian award in 2011. In January 2012, he played his last match in the longest format of the game in Australia. 
Legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Kaif, and others wished Laxman on his special day. IPL franchises and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) also penned special messages for one of the greatest batting stalwarts India have ever produced.

Here is how the cricketing fraternity extended its wishes to VVS Laxman: