The golden era of Indian cricket perhaps coincided perfectly with VVS Laxman’s career. From Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag to Sachin Tendulkar and the flashy Yuvraj Singh, Laxman shared dressing rooms with legendary Indian cricketers. But when asked to pick the biggest match-winner he played alongside, Laxman had no hesitation pointing at Anil Kumble.
In a Very Very Special stories episode, Laxman called Kumble as a fantastic match-winner for the country and the biggest he had played alongside.
“My dear friend Anil Kumble is probably India’s biggest match-winner… The biggest match-winner I played with,” said VVS Laxman.
Laxman also narrated the story of his first match against Anil Kumble in 1995 in the Challengers Trophy. “It was a bad memory. I did well for Hyderabad, and India U 19 so was picked for the India B side in the Challengers Trophy. The match was happening in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. I can never forget the sound of the ball hitting my pad… Against a leggie, you go on the backfoot trying to hit it square of the wicket… I did that in the previous ball but the next ball struck my pads even before my bat came down, Anil was quick in the air,” said Laxman.
“I had heard about you. I knew you were a backfoot player. Probably that’s how I used to set up a player. I just got lucky that day and I also remember coming to you after that match telling you not to play on the backfoot,” Kumble said.
Laxman played 84 of his 134 Tests alongside Anil Kumble. He also played under Kumble’s captaincy from 2004 to 2006.