VVS Laxman was unlucky not to play a World Cup, feels Mohammed Azharuddin
Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin thinks that middle-order batsman VVS Laxman was unlucky not to feature in a World Cup during his career. He also went on to explain how his fielding abilities could have come in the way of his selection in the limited-overs side.
Talking to exclusively to Sportskeeda on Facebook, Azhar gave his views on the controversial exclusion of VVS Laxman from the one-day side during the peak of his career. According to him, VVS Laxman's lackadaisical approach on the field was a major hurdle in his bid to play a World Cup.
Azhar felt that as a batsman, VVS Laxman was second to none but his fielding prowess, or the lack of it, let him down in the shorter format of the game.
"Maybe the selectors felt that because of his fielding abilities he missed out. That's what I gather. But as a player, he got two-three hundreds in one-day games as well. I think he got a couple of hundreds in Australia as well... He was a very good fielder, taking more than 120 or 130 catches. But in one-day matches, you can't just field in the slips. You are required to field everywhere, wherever you are put."
'VVS Laxman was unlucky as a batsman'
Azhar, however, claimed that VVS Laxman could have been shielded in the field by the captain and was unlucky to miss out on playing at the highest stage in the ODI format. He also acknowledged the knee problem which affected his fielding.
"Sometimes we have to go with the combination and the captain's view. I think he was unlucky as a batsman. Sometimes you can shield the fielders also."
VVS Laxman's record in Test matches easily eclipses his One-Day stats. He played 86 One-Day matches, scoring six tons at an average of just above 30, in comparison to his 134 Test appearances that included 17 majestic hundreds. Despite his phenomenal record in Tests, Laxman never played in any of the editions of the cricket World Cup.