VVS Laxman has, for many years now, been one of India's best Test players. A look at his record shows no significant drop in performance. In 2008 his runs have come at an average of 42.66, which is just below his career average of 43.80.

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However, with the Fab Four -- Sachin Tendulkar [Images], Rahul Dravid [Images], Sourav Ganguly [Images] and Laxman -- being criticised for a below par performance in Sri Lanka [Images], and Ganguly getting dropped for the forthcoming Irani Trophy, Laxman's career has also come under scrutiny.

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If one goes by facts only, Laxman's performance in Sri Lanka was far better vis-a-vis the other three. The Hyderabad player scored 215 runs in six innings @ 48.53, inclusive of two half-centuries. But if you compare that with his earlier efforts, it does come across as a disappointment.

Here is a break-up of Laxman's performances over the years. This will give you an idea why so much is expected from the Hyderabadi batsman.

VVS Laxman's performance in Test cricket (in each calendar year)

The following table gives a break-up of Laxman's performance in each span of 20 matches. Here, too, he does not seem to be perform badly. In fact, this current segment is second best of his career!