Hyderabad/Indore, Dec 8 (ANI): In a country whose players are on the high seats of the cricketing pantheon, Indian ace batsman Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman has inked his name into batting lore courtesy his match saving feats time and again.
His greatest battles have been fought against cricketing giants Australia at the height of their glory, something he hopes to emulate on the oncoming tour Down Under that begins on December 26.
Interacting with mediapersons in Hyderabad, the wristy stroke-maker hoped he would score his fourth straight Test hundred at one of his favourite batting pitches, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
"Just the wicket there, the outfield there is also very quick, so you get value for your shots. Just the entire atmosphere there is quite electrifying, and I've always enjoyed batting at SCG," said Laxman.
To a poser as to how the Indian team planned to tackle the Kangaroos' famed sledging, Laxman said that while an aggressive approach defined India's game plan, sledging was hardly a factor to denote performance on and off the field.
"Not necessarily, because I have performed well in Australia without sledging. It totally depends on each individual character. Without sledging also, you can play tough cricket," added Laxman.
Laxman fended questions of his phenomenal hunger for runs against the Aussies in particular, which accounted for 6 of his 17 Test hundreds and his average of 55.58 against the Baggy Greens to an overall 47.13, by contending match-saving and match-winning knocks were his priority, and any statistics picked on the way were merely a bonus.
Meanwhile, the Indian one-day international (ODI) team, reinforced by the return of all rounder Irfan Pathan to the playing eleven, practiced at Indore in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of India's fourth of five games against the West Indies.
India leads the series 2-1, having lost the previous encounter by 17 runs at Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat on Monday. (ANI)
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