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Hyderabad, May 14: The injury must have come as a blessing in disguise for VVS Laxman of Deccan Chargers as he was ruled out of the inaugural IPL tournament on Tuesday, while his long standing partner Rahul Dravid faced a different kind of music for the indifferent form.
The Hyderabad stylish batsman was wading through the same troubled waters like Rahul Dravid of Royal Challengers as both teams slid to the bottom of the eight-team table.
Laxman, who led in the first five matches before injuring his right hand in the match against Challengers at Bangalore, might have finished his career in shorter version of the game.
The team’s chances to the semifinal look bleak. Laxman, who did not play in the match against Chennai Super Kings, handed over the reins to Adam Gilchrist at Chennai. Laxman has a hairline fracture after an MRI scan was done on his hand.
According to a press note issued by the franchise, Gilchrist will take over as captain of Deccan Chargers for rest of the matches. “Adam’s contribution in all aspects of building the team has been invaluable. His positive attitude, limitless energy and astute leadership skills would make a significant impact on the team,” the press note said.
They also announced that the young and dynamic Rohit Sharma would step into the shoes of Gilchrist and be the vice captain for rest of the matches, which is an interesting development. Sharma has been in outstanding form and has been the saviour of Hyderabad team.
“He has been displaying tremendous responsibility and maturity in the way he has been adapting to different situations. Rohit is being groomed for the future and he would greatly benefit by being an under-study to Adam,” added the note.
For Laxman, it was not the type of exit he expected. After declining the icon status like other big Indian stars like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh or Dravid, Laxman hoped for a regal performance in this inaugural T20 game.
To be fair, he did not have a bad outing either. He was involved in a century partnership with the rampaging Gilchrist in their 10-wicket win over Mumbai. He also made 48 against Kings XI and 52 against Royal Challengers in quick time.