Laxman, Jaffer to present Aussies a double problem

Australia have already spent considerable time mulling over the attack they want to have in place for India.

Australia have already spent considerable time mulling over the attack they want to have in place for India. Steve Waugh8217;s farewell had not gone as perexpectations. The hosts, no doubt, would be keen to make up for it this time.

However, among the several Indian stalwarts is one batsman who the Aussies would want out, expecting that Brett Lee or Shaun Tait can ensure that. VVS Laxman, who boasts of an average of 52.46 against them, not to forget six half-centuries and four centuries in 16 Tests, is touring again.

Graceful and wristy, he has an appetite for runs that had gobbled up Waugh8217;s hopes so famously. His bat more often than not has come down from outside the off-stump, more so against the world8217;s best bowlers. He has proved rather expensive for Australian bowlers.

With that trademark humility, Laxman says he8217;s so looking forward to tormenting his hosts once again. 8220;They8217;re the best, so it8217;s pretty simple that you8217;ve got to give your best against them,8221; is Laxman8217;s logic.

Yet to be in the same rank 8212; surely not in terms of runs Laxman aggregates 5,292 runs from 86 Tests8212; there8217;s another striker of the ball this time among the touring Indians with as much tenacity to be elegant as the Hyderabadi. Mumbai and India opener Wasim Jaffer could be a copy of his teammate, a breed quite like the Laxman Aussies love to hate.

Jaffer is still new to all that. 8220;It will be a big test for me. I have toured Perth in 2000-01 to play a couple of matches for Mumbai. I have a fair idea about the wickets, but doing well against Australia in Australia will definitely be the challenge,8221; says Jaffer.

His best bet at the moment is to understand why Laxman has invariably succeeded against the champions. Laxman8217;s generosity in offering strokes on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia is a reflection of how much he loves playing in those conditions. 8220;The pitches there offer you a lot of scope to play your shots. The ball comes up well on to the bat and it is about timing it well,8221; he says.

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The Kolkata 281 had driven Waugh8217;s men to the brink. Ironically, even as Laxman became the first Indian to score a double hundred at Eden Gardens, his only compatriot happens to be Jaffer.

Sublime as Laxman, Jaffer8217;s 202 against Pakistan at the Eden early this month was another reminder of the batsman8217;s weight. 8220;But it was on Indian soil. I have scored well against Pakistan, but I know for a fact that pitches there have more bounce, and patience will be of great virtue,8221; says Jaffer.