Here are some of the best quotes by cricketing legends on VVS Laxman who celebrates his birthday today

Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman, famously known as Very Very Special Laxman or VVS Laxman was born on this day in 1974, regarded as one of the greatest players of spin and pace.

VVS was quite severe against the greatest Test team of his era, Australia. Home or away, Tests or ODIS, he scored runs at will against them.

VVS also is known as the savior for the Indian team, most of his runs came whenever India was in deep trouble. Nobody can forget the Kolkata Test, the best test innings played by an Indian cricketer.

Here are some of the best quotes on VVS Laxman by some of the legends of the game.

Always the artist, never the superstar. – Harsha Bhogle

When VVS bats, you just stand at the other end and watch & tell yourself not to get carried away. – Sachin Tendulkar on his Indian

On his day he could beat even 22 fielders and find the boundary. – Zaheer Khan

If Sachin is called the God of Cricket, then you, VVS is the angel we all strive to be.  – Murali Kartik

You didn’t bowl badly, you just came up against the player who I think is that’s the best batsman of spin bowling that I have seen. – Ian Chappell to Shane Warne during the Kolkata Test, 2001

Laxman could potentially play shots on either side of the wicket to any given ball. – Muralitharan

If you get Dravid, Great. If you get Tendulkar, Brilliant. If you get Laxman, it’s a Miracle. – Brett Lee

The greatest innings ever played by an Indian still belongs to him. – Bishan Singh Bedi

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He’s never changed, and if the Indian Team is in trouble. I’ll still search for Laxman to walk out as assurance. – Pullela Gopichand, badminton player

I enjoyed Laxman’s batting from the other end. It was like watching a highlights package. – Rahul Dravid, after his mammoth partnership with VVS during the Kolkata Test, 2001.

VVS is one of the finest human beings to have played cricket. One of the main pillars of the team and a true friend. Words are not enough. – Virender Sehwag

I feel sadder at VVS’s departure than Dravid’s. With Dravid, I respected *what* he did. With Laxman, I loved *how* he did it. Magic.– Ramesh Srivats, Twitter celeb

A wizard among muggles – Sharda Ugra, Cricinfo

That was the brightest day in Laxman’s career. That innings had a big impact on Indian cricket. It had given us a huge sense of relief and made us have belief in ourselves that we’re not behind… Since then, we never looked back as Indian cricket kept improving. – Sourav Ganguly on Laxman’s 281 in the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia

Not many batsmen made batting look as easy as VVS Laxman. If a cricketer’s greatness is to be measured in terms of his performances against the best opposition of his time, then Laxman stands right at the top; his record against Australia, the world’s No. 1 team for the better part of his career, speaks for itself. Indian cricket-lovers and the game of cricket itself will miss him for the elegance and grace that he epitomized, on and off the field. Former BCCI president N Srinivasan on VVS retirement.