Australian media goes ga-ga over Laxman

Forced for once to forget the victory run of their team, Australian media showered lavish praise on the feat of V V S Laxman - a double century effort which not only pulled India out of a possible innings defeat but also earned them a remarkable win.

"Winning streak over, barring miracle," predicted the banner headline by prominent sports writer Michael Donaldson. "Laxman, the son of two doctors reputedly scored 98 percent for science in his school-leaving exams. His 275 has dissected the Australian fielders with the exactitude of a surgeon's scalpel."

Such study into Laxman's background by the media was only apt given the damage done to Australia's winning mission "following his kiss of death laid on the tourists."

"If he had been born in Australia, say in Victoria," wrote news agency AAP, "V V S Laxman would be known as something like Wangaratta Wally Jesus Laxman" which translated could simply mean "Very Very Special."

The research put into nomenclature further surfaced, when the report dwelt on how the Hyderabadi earned his name - "His name is taken from the village in which he was born Vangipurappu, his father's name Venkata and the god the family worships, Sai".

Obviously they got the father's name part wrong as down South in Andhra Pradesh, the father's name does not figure in their children. Venkata is after the Lord at Tirupati and Sai is after the saint of Shirdi. The last part, Laxman, is his name.

Another writer of repute, Peter Roebuck could be held guilty of flattery after the way he described the play of Laxman in India's second innings when they were faced with the ignominy of a follow on.

"It resembled a glass of beer taken as the sun set across a pleasing landscape....Laxman did not appear to be walking through a field of nettles, the impression generally given by batsmen facing the Australian attack. Rather he seemed to be striding confidently towards a destination within his reach."

"Few could step down the pitch to Warne to drive a leg-spinner landing outside the leg-stump through the covers. Few could late cut McGrath...few could bat so long in such a commanding style", Few would disagree with these words of Roebuck bordering close to poetry. Apparently, Laxman has become a poetic muse of sorts for cricket writers Down Under.