Why is Laxman being made a scapegoat?

India’s disastrous Test tour of Australia has prompted an outrage and a call for heads to roll.

Normally, my articles are purely analytical and I stay away from the more common opinionated articles. However, the time is right for me to do something different in the light of what is happening in Indian Cricket. A great player and gentleman is being made a scapegoat for other’s (and, granted, his own) failures. However, I will say what I want to say based on analysis.

First some facts, to be accepted without any doubt or arguments.

Indian Cricket is going through a major crisis. Their Test Performance Index for the past 7 away Tests reads 139-561 which works out to around 20-80. I have already explained this methodology in an earlier article. This is approximately the equivalent of 7 losses by an innings and 1 run.

The bowlers are blowing hot and cold. One day they look great, the next day they go through the motions. But this is to be expected considering that, barring Zaheer and Ishant, they have captured below 100 Test wickets. And the experienced bowlers blow cold and hot.

The batting has been poor, to say the least. Dravid stood head and shoulders above the rest in England. In Australia, no one has done that. Tendulkar is the only one who has been playing well. Unfortunately, the huge albatross around his neck is weighing him down on many a crucial moment. Dravid is showing hitherto-unheard-of technical deficiencies. Laxman is completely unsure of himself. Sehwag seems to be always in a hurry. Gambhir has amnesia. He has forgotten 2008/09.

But why is that everyone, the media, former players, and the general public and all and sundry seem to pick on Laxman and to a lesser extent, Dravid?

Let me first put down some figures.

This is a concise summary of the Indian Top-5 from 1 January 2011.

Looking at what has happened over the last 12+ months, Dravid has been way above the others. Even with his current loss of form and confidence, he averages well over 55 overall and 48 in tough away matches. I was one of the guys who felt that he should have retired, while on top, at the end of the England tour. Having said that, how can anyone ask for his removal? Would Pujara move in to no.3 and settle down comfortably. Yes, certainly at home, but away???

However, Laxman’s predicament is inexplicable. Granted he is playing poorly; granted he averages 29 overseas during the past year; granted he is short of confidence. However, to say that he should be dropped from Adelaide and shown the door with a well-placed kick on his backside is amazing. It should be noted that Laxman played a significant part in three of the four wins against West Indies. He played one of the all-time great innings, 96, on a nightmare of pitch at Durban just before 2011 dawned. India would have lost badly but for that innings. And not to mention Mohali and Colombo.

If we look at the numbers, Laxman and Tendulkar are almost identical, but for the fact that the home/away performances are at variance.

Let us look at Sehwag’s performances. No one seems to be asking for the removal of Sehwag. Why? Because he is younger or that one day he could wake up and score 195 in a day. Or that the 200 in ODIs is indicative of his good form. All possibly true. But give the same concession to others also. Gambhir has only done marginally better. They average either side of 30.

Now for the Australian tour. Nothing great for anyone, not even Tendulkar.


I had a lot of respect for Sanjay Manjrekar. However, he seems to be going overboard, specifically targeting Laxman. It is one thing to say that the juniors should have been tried in the home Tests against West Indies. That is fine. But to insist on that in a crucial third Test at Australia seems silly and hare-brained. I certainly like Ganguly’s very balanced approach. He says that Laxman should be evaluated on his loss of form and recent poor performances. However, he adds that the same yardstick should apply to all. He should know. In the 15 Tests before his exit, he had scored 1344 runs at an average of almost 50, well above his career average.

If one has to rank these on recent form, it would be Dravid, Tendulkar (on better current form), Laxman, Gambhir and Sehwag.

Now for the conclusion. I think both Dravid and Laxman should retire at the end of the Australian tour, but on their own terms. They have earned that. If for nothing but those 8 glorious hours in Calcutta in 2001. And many times after that. To talk about dropping them abruptly is churlish and small-minded and indicates a memory blank-out of great history in favour of an imagined wonderful but dubious future.

They should also realize that any continuation would invite the lesser players, screeching media and the ignorant public to shout at the top of their collective voices. They are both gentlemen and should take the gentleman’s way to the exit.