Best: Laxman's Mohali rescue

	Performing superbly under pressure: it's a Laxman thing © Getty Images Enlarge

Best: Laxman's Mohali rescue

It was ridiculous actually. I was a guest on Test Match Sofa during lunch on day four of the Mohali Test. India had no business being in the match at that point, having collapsed to 124 for 8 chasing 216. VVS Laxman, fighting back spasms, running on injections and painkillers, had put up a semblance of a partnership with Ishant Sharma by the time TMS called. They sounded a bit grumpy, talking about the match state: being largely English, they hated that Australia were going to win. Instinctively I said: not until Laxman was there. On second thought, I should have known. The previous Test I had covered had featured a similar - though not as unbelievable - effort from Laxman, again fighting back spasms, in the fourth innings, as he guided India's chase of 257 from 62 for 4. As a journalist too, the two occasions were the best: I got to speak to Laxman immediately after, getting an insight into how the body and mind coped. What I drew was: there is something about crisis that brings out the best in Laxman, something he can't quite conjure when the going is smooth.