Eye on the last chance

Laxman has all to play for on this tour of England © Bipin Patel

Early in his international career, he was caught between opening the batting and playing in the middle order; now he often faces the dilemma of whether to flow or graft. Initially he struggled for a place because of the batting riches India possessed; recently he's lost out, twice in the last year, to the five-bowler experiment. For the first few years, everyone waited for the real VVS Laxman to emerge; of late they've longed for the real VVS to re-emerge.

If Laxman ever retraced his career path, he would find himself passing one crossroads after another. The England tour possibly presents the final such - one which could extend his career for the rest of the season and beyond, or hasten the end. He has begun well, with a confident, eye-pleasing 95 not out at Hove, but with Yuvraj Singh close on his heels, Laxman's work has just begun.

His most recent disappointment was accompanied by a sense of déjà vu: India went to Bangladesh, decided to play five bowlers apiece in both Tests, were forced to pick MS Dhoni because of his Man-of-the-Series performance in the one-dayers and, just like it was against England at Mumbai in 2006, out went Laxman.

He admits he was disappointed, but is quick to add that it was "a team decision". "That was the team strategy and I had to miss out," he told Cricinfo before leaving for England. "It was personally disappointing, but then you have to respect the decision taken by the team management." Surely he felt more gutted than that? "But it's about the team," he says.

Laxman enjoys England. He remembers his time in the little leagues there, days when he learned to adapt in different conditions. His previous visit to the country, in 2002, was unfulfilling, but he points out that, batting at No. 6, he didn't get too many chances. It was a tour when Rahul Dravid's bat was regularly pointing to the heavens, and Laxman got only four real chances to make an impact.

"I had a good match at Lord's, even though we lost that game. But after that I didn't get too many opportunities," he says of the first Test, where he managed 43 not out and 74. In the second innings, when he was batting with Ajit Agarkar in pursuit of a near-impossible 568, hopes of another of those Laxman miracles surfaced. Agarkar was batting fluently - he went on to make a hundred - and Laxman seemed to have a plan in mind.

"It was a very stiff target, but if I'd continued, considering the way Ajit was batting, we would have probably come closer to the target," he says. "I don't know if we could have gone on to win it but I think I got out at the wrong time. I was out when they took the second new ball with all the bowlers tried and exhausted. Had I stayed a bit longer, you never know."

The remainder of the series was a blur and, considering that he'd had a successful tour of the West Indies immediately before, was no doubt a letdown. He failed twice at Trent Bridge, was a virtual spectator when India's top five ransacked runs at Headingley, and suffered a finger injury at The Oval.

"Nottingham was disappointing. I got a start but couldn't carry on. At The Oval, I had an important partnership with Rahul - I made 40 or so I think. At Headingley I didn't get much of a chance with three others above me getting hundreds. We were looking to declare when I went in there.

"I had an average series last time, no doubt. I did well at Lord's, I was quite happy with my knock there. And at The Oval I was batting with a broken finger, so I was pleased I could contribute. It was tough batting out there in that state."

He prepared quietly for the trip this time around. No one-day cricket meant training in humid Hyderabad in an attempt to face the sort of swing that he'd find in England. "I've been training hard, trying to practise against the swinging ball, but it's tough to simulate the conditions in England. The best way to prepare for an England series is to get maximum practice during the warm-up games.

"We're getting two warm-up games this time so all you've to do is try and get a big knock. Two practice games before a Test series is a luxury these days, given the international calendar. I think two weeks is good enough, and you should, as an international player, get used to conditions."

He's started well, with valuable batting practice against Sussex, against a bowling attack that included the wily Saqlain Mushtaq. His languid, charming style fits perfectly with the English countryside, and there can't be too many better places for a player of his sort to leave a lasting impact. Time to forget the dilemmas, time for VVS to fly again.