Senior Indian batsman VVS Laxman will return home after a hand injury ruled him out of the second and final Test against Bangladesh starting on Sunday in Dhaka.
Sachin Tendulkar's greatness lies in his batting but former India teammate, VVS Laxman, considers the retiring legend as an under-rated and a clever bowler who has played his part in a couple of famous Test and ODI wins.
The South Zone team will face the West Zone in the Duleep Trophy match at Vadodara from October 20 to 23.
Already under severe pressure to retain his place in the Test squad, VVS Laxman's IPL career may just come to a halt as none of the nine franchises are keen on roping in the senior batsman as a full-time player.
VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit centuries in a record partnership before India declared their first innings on 643 for six on day three of the second and final Test against South Africa, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
Riding on the match-saving hundred against New Zealand in the second cricket Test, Indian batsman VVS Laxman on Tuesday returned to the top-20 of the ICC Rankings, up six places to 15th in the latest list.
VVS Laxman scored an unbeaten 124 and Yuvraj Singh 54 as India played out a draw with New Zealand in the second Test in Napier on Monday. India had a lead of 162. With no hope of a result both captain agreed to call of the match with 17 overs remaining.
The master batsman salutes Sourav Ganguly on completing 100 Test matches.
Middle-order mainstays Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, along with four other members of India's Test squad, left for New Zealand from Mumbai early on Monday for the three-match Test series starting March 18.
VVS Laxman recalled how Rohit Sharma evolved both as a batsman and skipper since playing his first IPL with Deccan Chargers.
Having retired from international cricket only a few months back, VVS Laxman struck his 55th first-class ton to guide Hyderabad to 341 against Madhya Pradesh on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Madhya Pradesh.
India are hoping that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and VVS Laxman will bat long enough -- like they did against South Africa early this year -- and heavens do them a favour by opening up on Thursday to salvage the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Stylish middle-order batsman VVS Laxman says his dream is to score a century at Lord's and help India win the match during the team's upcoming tour of England.
The coach also needs to be technically savvy with knowledge of biomechanics and ability to decipher the data stored in GPS devices.
VVS Laxman should be the first veteran head to roll in a batting revamp if India are to secure their future in Test cricket, several former players have said in the wake of a second crushing defeat in Australia.
The low-scoring second cricket Test was tantalisingly poised after the third day's play with South Africa needing 192 more runs to win and India also fancying their chances of a remarkable series-levelling victory in Durban.
The opening Test between India and New Zealand at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera ended as a draw on the fifth and final day on Monday. The visitors, chasing 295 to win, had made 22 for one when play was called off.
Manjrekar however, did flag India's overseas batting fragility.
India captain Sourav Ganguly asserted that the team would field seven batsmen in Sunday's title match against Sri Lanka.
Images from Day 4 in the first Test between India and England, at Lord's.
Statistical highlights from the opening day's play in the second cricket Test between India and the West Indies played in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman reckons Dhoni would bid the game farewell at his 'home ground'.
Here are some of the big names who could be interested in applying for the post.
Virender Sehwag justified the team management's decision not to play VVS Laxman in the second Test, saying had 'we played him we would have been even a fielder short'.
Australia's legendary spinner Shane Warne picked his greatest Indian eleven, comprising the players he played against. A notable absentee from his list is VVS Laxman, who is named as 12th man.
The Ethics Officer has ruled that the former India players have to choose between CAC, IPL jobs
It was Adam Gilchirst's sensible and aggressive captaincy that changed the fortunes of the Deccan Chargers in IPL-II, Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said on Tuesday.
The Hyderabad batsman is practicing on pacy pitches similar to the ones expected in Pakistan
Veteran Indian batsman VVS Laxman rose seven places to a career-best sixth in the ICC Rankings for Test batsmen after playing two crucial half centuries in the drawn match against the West Indies in Bridgetown.
Sachin Tendulkar has made an expected return to the Test team while VVS Laxman, despite his woeful run of form in the series against Australia, retains his place for the NZ series.
In what has been described as the start of a new innings, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman joined the BCCI in a newly-constituted advisory panel to guide the Board in all matters related to the game.
VVS Laxman, who is recuperating from a back injury, has pulled out of Hyderabad's upcoming Ranji fixture against Bengal beginning at Eden Gardens from Saturday.
VVS Laxman (73 not out) came back to haunt Australia and inspire India to a memorable win on day five of the opening test at Mohali on Tuesday. Chasing 216 to win, the home team reached their target with a wicket to spare.
He said India's dominance in world cricket is a perfect reflection of a steady "supply chain."
Home conditions, crowd support and consistent performance of the past one and a half year make India the hot favourites in next month's cricket World Cup in the sub-continent, feels stylish Test batsman VVSLaxman.
