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Is Laxman a great batsman?

honestbharani

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
TumTum said:
I really don't care about that. I am talking about the individual and his qualities. I think many of Dravid fans here (and oh boy are there many) can admit that it is an absolute bore watching him bat.

But this is the most dis-service to the team when he doesn't get a high score. For example when India are in trouble, you can always be guaranteed not to see a counter-attacking innings from him and the bowlers feel comfortable and work him over. Then he finally gets out at 20 from like 100 balls. Despite (in his hay day) being a great blocker, facing as many balls as he does just increases the likeliness that he will get out before scoring many runs. The opposition can get comfortable and do not panic and work their plan.

Guys like Tendulkar and Ponting on the other hand show many qualities, many of which guys like Laxman and Dravid don't have:
1. Aesthetics (Laxman)
2. Run Machines
3. Counter-Attacking ability (sometimes Laxman)
4. When the going gets tough, the tough get going (Dravid & Laxman)
5. Scoring runs when out of form
6. Perform at different conditions and places (Dravid)
Click to expand...
rofl.. the 6 points listed are waaaaaay pro Dravid than anti Dravid to anyone who has followed cricket in the past decade and a half.
 
Blaze 18

Blaze 18

Banned
All-time great? What does the term really mean? Does it mean players with exceptional records? Players who always seem to perform when their team is in dire straits?

In my opinion, an ***all-time great*** has to have, in addition to all the other criteria, that unquantifiable "X-factor"; something that mere numbers can and will never reveal. There have been only two batsmen in the last two decades who had/have this "X-factor"(in my opinion,of course). One of the two was a certain Brian Lara, who at his best, was the best batsman I have had the pleasure of watching; the other is a litte man from India who just seems to go on and on....and on.

A rung below are the players with excellent records pretty much everywhere,i.e the great players;but players who didn't/don't possess that "X-factor" : Dravid, Ponting, Kallis, Chanderpaul among others.

As for the original thread title, Laxman is not a consistent enough run-machine to be termed an all-time great. That is the only real aspect of his batting that needs improvement; he certainly seems to be trying his hardest to correct that but I am afraid he doesn't have time on his side. Nevertheless he is a quality player and his 281 against Australia at her zenith is easily one of the greatest knocks ever.
 
TumTum

TumTum

Banned
lol Ponting definitely has the x-factor. Even when he is out of form you can sense his greatness when he is at the crease.
 
Spark

Spark

Global Moderator
Ponting? Ponting has more "X-factor" than Tendulkar IMO. The latter is more profilgate but no one could annhilate an opposition's bowlers quite like Ponting. Except perhaps Hayden at his peak.
 
Cricket_God

Cricket_God

U19 Cricketer
Spark said:
Ponting? Ponting has more "X-factor" than Tendulkar IMO. The latter is more profilgate but no one could annhilate an opposition's bowlers quite like Ponting. Except perhaps Hayden at his peak.
Click to expand...
ponting annhilate bowlers during his peak -2003-2006 where the bowling stocks were worse world over .it is not easy to annhilate good bowling attacks so was the case with hayden.
 
centurymaker

centurymaker

Cricketer Of The Year
Spark said:
Ponting? Ponting has more "X-factor" than Tendulkar IMO. The latter is more profilgate but no one could annhilate an opposition's bowlers quite like Ponting. Except perhaps Hayden at his peak.
Click to expand...
Lara was far more destructive than Ponting on his days. Tendulkar comes second.
Tendulkar had a very similar strike rate to lara most of his career. He was very attacking!! Almost always took the attack to the opposition for more than a decade. They used to compare sehwag with tendulkar early on in his career because of their similar attacking style.
Your opinion seems to be based on his batting after 2003 (the transformed "mature" tendulkar- version 2 ahha).
The tendulkar of old and the tendulkar of now are two very different batsmen.
 
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