Participating or not participating in a World Cup has it in it to define a cricketer’s career. Unlike most other cricketing aspects which are impacted more by the outside noise, this one has it in it to exert influence on a player’s morale even if a fault-finder misses out on staying true to his job description.
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All set to lead the national team for the first time in an ODI World Cup later this year, India captain Rohit Sharma is a classic case of a high-profile player finding himself on the receiving end of a World Cup snub.
“When I wasn’t picked in 2011, it was such a heart-breaking moment for me and I felt what’s left after being dropped from a World Cup squad. If anyone misses out, there is a reason for it,” Sharma had told PTI on Monday.
Former batter VVS Laxman, one of the finest to have played Test cricket, had all but convinced himself to hang his boots after not finding a spot in the Indian squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. Laxman, who played 160 out of his 220 international matches with former captain Sourav Ganguly (103 under him) also in the Playing XI, had openly expressed a feeling of anguish for missing out on a trip to South Africa a couple of decades ago.
Having Played 160 International Matches With Him, VVS Laxman Was Once Distressed With Sourav Ganguly For 2003 World Cup Snub
It was pretty evident at the time itself that Laxman’s spot was handed to batter Dinesh Mongia. A better fielder who could contribute with the ball as well, Mongia neither had a fruitful world event nor a career in comparison to Laxman, but him playing the 2003 World Cup ahead of the latter did raise plentiful eyebrows.
That said, Laxman hadn’t accepted a personal blow in the best of ways. With the incident also finding a mention in his autobiography titled ‘281 And Beyond’, readers must note that Laxman had stayed in the USA for a couple of months. Having started to miss the nitty-gritty of playing the sport after a month, the right-handed batter found refuge in a fresh perspective which reminded him that the reason behind playing cricket was the joy of playing and not personal milestones.
“Absolutely, I was distressed [with Sourav Ganguly]. Sourav had shared the reason [behind the snub] with me. I was about to leave cricket. It was the lowest point of my career. I was unhappy,” Laxman had told Sports Tak in 2018.
VVS Laxman’s ODI Career In Numbers
Since the start of 2001 till the beginning of the 2003 World Cup, Laxman was India’s fifth-highest ODI run-scorer on the back of scoring 1,164 runs in 38 matches at an average of 33.25. Mongia, meanwhile, had scored 805 runs at an average of 27.75. Apart from the two above mentioned reasons, Mongia scoring a match-winning 159* (147) – fourth-highest individual score for an Indian batter at the time – against Zimbabwe in Guwahati the previous year was another reason behind his selection.
Unlike Laxman, Mongia wasn’t even part of India’s seven-match ODI series in New Zealand before the World Cup. While Mongia played a handful of series post the World Cup, a better part of Laxman’s ODI career was witnessed after he was recalled to the squad for the subsequent home season.
A thumping second ODI century in just his second match against Australia in Gwalior was just the start only to be followed by Laxman scoring three more hundreds during VB Series 2003. Having scored another ODI ton in Lahore, five out of Laxman’s six 100+ individual scores in the format had come in one season.
Notwithstanding so many centuries in a season where his 799 runs across 21 innings had come at an average of 44.38, Laxman not being able to contribute significantly between these magnificent innings never allowed him to walk on the path of ODI greats. Furthermore, the right-handed batter scoring just 289 runs across his last 13 ODI innings at 24.08 did no favour to him with respect to selection in India’s 2007 World Cup squad.
Selectors vs Head Coach Debate Over Who Dropped VVS Laxman In 2003
John Wright, who was the head coach of the Indian cricket team during the 2003 World Cup, had released his book titled ‘Indian Summers’ in 2006. As per Wright, zonal quota system in the Indian circuit was a primary reason behind Laxman’s non-selection.
Having said that, Wright’s claim had received a stern and immediate response from the members of the selection committee during that period. Selectors T.A. Sekar and Ashok Malhotra had categorically accused Wright of passing such statements to “sell his book”. In an interview with Telegraph India, Sekar had mentioned how Wright had his way by picking Mongia over Laxman for the World Cup.
“[John] Wright has exposed himself by levelling totally untrue allegations like these after five years. After having earned thousands of dollars, it is obvious that he wants to make some more money by writing such things so that his book sells well.”
“[VVS] Laxman was in great form in 2003 but Wright got his way, insisting on the selection of [Dinesh] Mongia instead. If the selection process was regionalised, how did the team perform so well in 2003 World Cup.”
Former selection chairman Chandu Borde, meanwhile, had denied all the allegations lodged by Wright.
