Laxman crosses the century border

By John Cheeran
VVS Laxman did not disappoint India.
VVS consummated his overnight innings by scoring a well-deserved century on Monday morning, his ninth in Test cricket, at Ahmedabad.
Laxman’s century could not have come at a better time for India.
His 104, spread over 237 balls, held the Indian innings together after the hosts were reduced to 97 for five on the first day.
It is a ton worth its weight in gold.
Laxman’s discipline and determination ensured that India did not fritter away the opportunity of a sizeable score on Monday. He made his journey from 71 to 100 with ease against Sri Lanka’s action heroes Lasith Malinga and Muttaiah Muralitharan.
Many batsmen fail to convert their half-centuries to the coveted three-figure mark. Laxman himself has been a culprit in the past, having scored 23 of them in the process of acquiring 4000 plus runs in Tests.
At the end of it, Laxman must be a very, very happy man and a happy batsman. He has silenced his critics by scoring a timely hundred and has helped India to avoid a rout and post a score from where they could hope to force a win.
The disappointment of VVS missing out on a really big one should be compensated, however, by some aggressive bowling from Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.