Click to play videoHyderabad: In his long and chequered career he has seen many dissapointments and has overcome them to play some great knocks like the 281 at the Eden Gardens against Australia in 2001.
His sublime elegance and wristy strokes make VVS Laxman very very special and this June the right hander from Hyderabad will look to glance his way to the selectors eye for the 2007 World Cup.
Born on the November 1, Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman is a middle order batsman and an occasional right arm off-break bowler.
He made his debut in 1996 against South Africa in Ahmedabad and since then the 31-year-old has played 73 Tests.
Laxman has scored 4,441 runs in the Tests with 281 as his highest score and his next challenge will be the three-match Test series against the West Indies.
"I will be looking forward to do well in the West Indies as I have been there in 1997 and 2002. I know the conditions and having played most of their bowlers, I know the kind of bowling that I will face," Laxamn says.
"I am preparing for it. It is very important that I start off well and play the first Test well. If I get runs and find the rhythm then, it will be a good series for me," he says.
He has played 12 Tests against West Indies and scored 917 runs at an average of more than 61 with 154 not out being his highest score in Kolkata, which seems to be his favourite ground.
And the record is equally impressive in the West Indies. In his nine Tests he has scored 646 runs at an average of 54 with a highest score of 130 in Antigua.
With the Indians going for five bowlers in the last two Tests, Laxman had been the scapegoat but West Indies will be a fresh start.
On top of Laxman's agenda will be a place in the One-Day team with the 2007 World Cup just 10 months away.
"I have a feeling that if I do well in the Test matches and improve on my fitness then automatically the team management will give me an opportunity in the One-Dayers. A lot of One-Dayers will be played from now on till the World Cup. So if I do well in the Test then I will get a chance in the One-Dayers. Once I get there, I will have to grab the opportunity," he adds.
A successful series in the West Indies might just change the selectors opinon about Laxman but the one thing that will put him to test again will be his fitness and fielding, the two aspects that made him miss the World Cup in South Africa.
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