VVS Laxman

At his sublime best, VVS Laxman is a sight for the gods. Wristy, willowy and sinuous, he can match, and even better, Sachin Tendulkar for strokeplay. His on-side game is comparable to his idol Mohammad Azharuddin, and yet he is decidedly more assured on the off side and he has the rare the gift of being able hit the same ball on either side. The Australians, against whom he has notched his tallest feats, paid him the highest compliment after Indias 2003-04 tour to Australia by conceding that they did not know where to bowl to him. After flitting between awe-inspiring brilliance and mystifying ordinariness, Laxman has finally shown signs of coming to terms with his considerable gifts. In March 2001, all the dreams he had had as a wannabe medical student came true when he tormented Steve Waughs then-invincible Australians with a majestic 281 at Calcutta - one of the greatest performances of all time. But then he went back to mortality settling for the frustrations of the 20s and 30s and struggling to hold his place in the one-day side. An uncharacteristic, grinding century in the West Indies in 2001-02 marked his second coming and he has been a picture of consistency ever since, never failing to dazzle, but less prone to collaborating in his own dismissal. He put behind the acute disappointment of being left out of the 2003 World Cup by making an emphatic return to the one-day game with a string of hundreds in Australia and followed it up with a stirring, match-winning 107 in series decider in Indian historic, ice-breaking tour of Pakistan in 2004. The youngest member of India's dazzling batting quartet, Laxman's most prolific years might be ahead of him.

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2002