When opposites attract

All these places once witnessed the tag-team of Laxman and Harbhajan saving the day for India. But this was present day Mohali in 2012. Where their dispositions had changed. Where Laxman had rolled out of mothballs following international retirement. And where Harbhajan sincerely hoped that he wasnt pushed into that attic.

I pray that VVS scores a lot of runs in this match so I can take plenty of wickets, says Harbhajan,without missing a beat. I dont know how,but there is a connection. Whenever Laxman has done well in a game,I have also managed to do the same.

So with Laxmans presence comes hope. Not just for the man with the most Test wickets in the world today trying to earn back the selectors respect tomorrow,but also for Hyderabad. And the Ranji Trophy in general.

It is going to be a real challenge to bowl at him. If any of the youngsters playing in not only Punjab,but in the Ranji Trophy in general,can dismiss Laxman,it will give them an enormous amount of confidence,says Bhajji. VVS is the best human being Ive ever played cricket with. It is going to be an honour to share the field with my buddy.

That buddy,rather symbolically,grew a year older on the day of his Ranji comeback. And for the first half hour of Hyderabads first nets session of this season,turning thirty-eight showed. Every day of it.

On a green medicine ball,Laxman balmed his sore muscle even as the rest of his team got into their batting and bowling drills. First,he rolled his aching back over the obnoxious looking object,his legs bent in right angles. Then,using the ball as his stool,Laxman raised each knee cap to a creak dropping them back ever so gently on to the newly manicured lawns.

Just when it seemed like he was done,the yellow handled bat took the role of a pehelwans gada,as Laxman,with the willow in grasp,coiled and recoiled his spine like a worn out rubber band. Pistons fixed and crankshafts repaired,Laxman pulled his body out of the garage and on to the track. Surely he couldnt make batting look effortless after all that toil to just take the field.

A medium pacer bowled ball one,pitching on middle and shaping away. With little feet movement,Laxman arched towards it. Dead wood jabbed leather through the covers,taking with it the mental cobwebs too. When the pacer bowled a similar ball during his following cycle,Laxman got behind the line and whipped it through midwicket. The chassis may be showing signs of wear and tear,but the engine those divine wrists are still as good as new.

The back is holding up fine. Im glad. It did play a bigger role than it should have the last time I was here, says Laxman. Against the Australians in 2010,a cranky vertebral column forced him to bat at number 10 in the first innings. But when push came to shove and a target of 216 was set,Laxman proved just why he was Indias finest crisis-man,anchoring the chase despite his injury with an invaluable 73.

Token of gratitude

It is good to be back. Not just in Mohali,but also in the domestic fold, says the man who called it a day before the New Zealand series at home,earlier this year. So what makes a man push his body to the limit when the motivation of a big stage return has been flushed out of his system? I owe it to domestic cricket, he says. It helped me a lot by giving me a platform to achieve my dreams. Now I want to motivate others to realise their talent.

Such as Bhajji? Well,it is unfortunate what happened to him, says Laxman,turning grim for the first time in the day. I wish him well and hope he regains his form and his confidence and once again contributes to the Indian cricket team.

If Harbajan is to be believed,then Laxman is just a few runs away from making that happen. Until then,the whiskey remains as elusive as it did today.