Class, so cricket pundits through the ages have knowledgeably told us,is permanent

Staff Reporter17-Oct-2001Class, so cricket pundits through the ages have knowledgeably told us,is permanent. Once ingrained, perhaps at early childhood or even atthe earlier genetic level, it will not budge. Resolutely refusing toglance at the neon-red Exit sign, stubbornly ignoring all manner ofdropped hints, class digs its heels in; you may huff and you may puff,but you cannot snuff it out.If there is one player in whom this strange animal is more obstinatethan most, that player is Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. In him, itis not merely content with staying put; it oozes out of his pores,drenches his strokes, and rears its head at every opportunity.Yearning again for the limelight after two months of inaction, itmanifested itself with a vengeance against a hapless Baroda onWednesday.At the close of Day Four, Baroda must have fancied its chances. It hadthe last recognised established batsmen at the crease and a 213-runbuffer to dismiss Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Ajay Ratra and a comicallylong tail. Rest of India, the Baroda players must have said tothemselves over dinner, will be denied its Irani hat-trick yet.Yet, barely an hour after lunch, when Laxman departed, caughtRakesh Patel bowled Valmik Buch for 148 off 198 balls, having stroked24 boundaries and two sixes, he had not only taken Rest of India tothe threshold of victory, but had also pressed the doorbell.Amid misapprehensions of a crumbling pitch, Laxman played his strokeswith calm elan. Seventy-three percent of his runs came from boundariesas he systematically took apart Baroda’s bowlers, in particular leftarm spinner and first-innings hero Buch. Although Buch finally snaredLaxman with only 10 runs to go, figures of 26-5-128-1 on an Indianfifth-day track will be of little comfort to him.Accolades for Laxman are sure to flow copiously, especially from apublic hungry for any signs of good form ahead of his departure forSouth Africa. Dinesh Mongia, however, should not be forgotten;following up his first-innings hundred with a stolid 90 off 198,Mongia played a melodious second fiddle. His Man of the Match awardwas a foregone conclusion even as he brought up the winning runs witha flamboyant four.Rest of India have now won three Irani Trophies in a row, with Laxmanhaving played pivotal roles in the last two. His position as King ofthe Domestic Circuit is hardly in doubt. But it is now time for HisMajesty to step abroad and win matches in similar style on theinternational front. If he can translate even half of his domesticsuccess to the next level, his coronation as the King of Kings may notbe too far away.