Who would you rather have in your team (overall)? Shiv or Laxman?

[Rush]

Hmm??

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Laxman for his great record in the second innings under pressure and also for his elegant batting.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Very close call. Have to go with Laxman though. Just.

The Hyderabadi is a magician. Back-to-the-wall, top order collapse, team trailing by quite some runs and an Aussie steaming in at 90 mph - that is the situation tailormade for Laxman.

I rate players by impact and game under pressure more than stats. To me, VVS is right up there in a rarefied atmosphere of match-winning test batsmen. I don't give a damn if he spoons a return catch to Sammy when there is relatively no pressure, but when the team needs him, trust the man to play out of his skin.

I also rate Shiv very highly as a player, but Laxman is just ahead for me.

 

[shivfan]

Shiv, of course....

I presume you're talking about the player throughout his career, and not the player in the twilight of his years.

 

[social]

Overall is undoubtedly Shiv

 

[chicane]

Chanderpaul, though Laxman 4-5 down is damn good.

 

[Teja.]

Shiv's longevity wins it overall. Laxman is a very special batsman though and I'd definitely switch for factors like others in the batting line-up.

 

[benchmark00]

Would prefer the great man Laxman Sivaramakrishnan.

 

[jeevan]

Both have been dealt different cards and have played their hands quite well in their own context.

A Laxman, who'd provide you with about five or six really incredible knocks would not have worked too well for the WI team of the last few years. A Shiv who, certainly in his purple patch(es) - shows up with a fight every other innings - is far more valuable.

But in the Indian team - with SRT & Dravid for just about any occasion, Sehwag for clubbing the opposition into the ground on his - not infrequent - days - Laxman's act was the one way left to make a difference.

Since "my" team also has SRT, Dravid - and not in a hypothetical sense - Laxman quite easily for that outfit, although there is just no implication about him being better in any universal metric.

Three or four years from today, this question will become a much harder one to answer.

 

[Prince EWS]

Would prefer the great man Laxman Sivaramakrishnan.

Haha I immediately thought of him when I saw this thread too.

Definitely Shiv though. Both tend to really stand up under pressure, but Shiv isn't as lazy in other situations. He's everything Laxman should have been but wasn't.

 

[Furball]

Laxman WAG. My second batting love after Lara.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Shiv for me but only just. Both quality players but Shiv was the better player for a longer period through their careers in my opinion.

 

[Mehul K]

Shiv can be unbreakable at times defensively but of course Laxman is head and shoulders above in the elegance and grace department plus he is a pretty good player to have in the lower middle order. Its a tough call but I am leaning towards Laxman.

 

[weldone]

Tough call. Chanderpaul ahead in defensive techniques, Laxman ahead in aggressive techniques. Both are very good middle-order batsmen, and have been very good consistently (if one doesn't consider Laxman's initial stint as a make-shift opener).

Probably I shall choose Laxman, but just.

 

[Cevno]

Laxman just about.

Chanderpaul tends to score runs in a patch and then go off.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Haven't seen enough of Shiv, tbh. Seen a lot of Laxman Laxman for me.

 

[hang on]

tiger. by a whisker.

 

[vcs]

Who's tiger?

 

[hang on]

Who's tiger?

it ain't laxman! so gotta be...

ok, not to be snarky, tiger is a nickname of shiv's. sorry but just couldn't resist the one above.