VVS Laxman’s weird dismissal was the talking point of the third day’s play in the third Test match between India and West Indies but India took the control of the game. By the time the game had ended on the third day, the Indians had taken a 106-run lead and had four wickets standing, including that of their captain MS Dhoni.
It is difficult to describe Laxman’s dismissal as eloquently as its live pictures or its video would. It was a wicket that would probably haunt Laxman for as long as the dismissal of Misbah ul Haq in the final of the World T20 would do him. Not so because of the situation but because of the way it happened.
Laxman had been batting very well up to that point, having got to his half century and looking good to convert it to into a 100. It was his third half-century in a row.
The West Indian team had walked out on to the park with a bowler short after Ravi Rampaul had pulled up with an illness and did not take field the whole day. This meant that Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who hadn’t bowled a single ball in Test matches had to take the responsibility of sending down a few overs.
It was Chanderpaul’s second over and as would be expected from a bowler who hadn’t had too much practice, the ball was so wide outside the off-stump that it was nearly a wide. Laxman played the perfect shot to the ball – leaving it alone for the wicket-keeper to gather. However, what he also did was to suddenly lift his back-foot, for reasons unknown. The wicket-keeper casually whipped the bails off, not knowing that he had actually done it with Laxman’s foot up, but appealed anyway.
The third umpire was called and it was deemed that when the bails were removed, Laxman’s foot was in the air – leading the umpire to send the batsman on his way! Indians had begun to look in trouble, having lost half their side for 172.
Fortunately for the Indians, there was a good, century-run stand between Suresh Raina and Dhoni that allowed them a lead of 106 runs by the time the day had ended.
With two more days to go, India will look to get themselves up to as many as possible and more importantly, as quickly as possible.