When Australia arrived in India for the current series, their biggest threat in the batting department was not Sachin or Dravid, but the man who has given them more than a nightmare over the past three years i.e. VVS Laxman. It is obvious that the champion side would have worked really hard on how dislodge this stylish middle-order batsman. And all the hard work the Aussies have put in is paying dividends as of now as this 'Very Very Special' batsman has not got his bearings right against his favourite opponent.

Laxman began well in the first innings at Bangalore before Warne got rid of him with a good delivery. But one would expect a great player of spin to know where his off stump is. After that, he has never really looked the same Laxman we saw in 2001. Some of Laxman's dismissals really bamboozle one and all. At times he gets out in awkward ways- giving a simple catch to short extra cover or getting comprehensively bowled of straightforward deliveries. It is this weakness that the Aussies have exploited to the hilt. It is very late in his career now for Laxman to make too many changes in his technique. But he will have to make some adjustments in his batting to be more consistent in international cricket.

There are still two very important Tests left for VVS Laxman to make an impact on the series. India, who are one down in the series, dearly need Laxman to fire if they want to comeback strongly in the series. Laxman still holds the key for India despite his inconsistent performances of late. He has had a superb run against the World Champions. If there is one place he can get away with faulty technique, it is India. Also, the pitch at Nagpur is not known to assist the bowlers and Laxman must make full use of this opportunity.

It will not be easy for Laxman as the Aussies will come really hard at him. But here's where he's got to stand up and show his true class. He might in fact be helped by the fact that Sachin Tendulkar will play at Nagpur. It is possible that all the attention will be focused at the 'Little Maestro'. If that happens, Laxman will be away from the spotlight and it will give him a good opportunity to play with a little less pressure.
 

If Laxman can come up with a big knock at Nagpur, it can go a long way in India putting up a good show. Apart from having scored a lot of runs, Laxman also held a psychological advantage against the Aussies before this series owing to the ease with which he scores against them. It's time for VVS to wrest the initiative once again. Will he be able to regain his domination over the Aussies? Nagpur and Mumbai will give us the answer.