Tough situations obtain my competitive juices flowing, says Laxman

The legend of VVS Laxman has grown exponentially in the last few months. He has come to India's rescue whenever the team has faced a risky condition. The stylish right-hander has been in such regal touch that this could well be his best year yet after 2008. If he had aggregated 1086 from 15 Tests at 47.21 then, Laxman has already stacked up 704 in seven games so far in 2010 with two centuries at an average of 88.The piece de resistance has to be the unbeaten 73 in trying circumstances at Mohali where he battled back spasms and took India to a famous one-wicket victory against Australia.

He, though, only carried forward the form he showed in Colombo where his unbeaten 103 helped India chase down 257 and beat Sri Lanka by five wickets."The situations were tough in Sri Lanka and Mohali but the result went in our favour and that is very satisfying," Laxman told TOI ahead of India's second Test against New Zealand beginning on Friday. "Right from my younger days I have always dreamt of chances like this. It is highly uplifting that I have been able to deliver the goods when the team wanted it most. I feel very low when I fail and that's probably one reason I motivate myself so hard."

It is easier said than done. "It probably has something to do with my playing cricket for Hyderabad. After Doc (MV Sridhar) left, I was the batting basis. That shaped my mindset; if I could do it in domestic cricket I can do it against anybody. After all only the setting is different. This approach has held me in good stead, for example during my 281 against Australia in Kolkata. It wasn't a good situation to be in then but I was coming off a very good domestic season for Hyderabad, which included a triple century against Karnataka in the Ranji semifinal."