4. VVS Laxman, 96 Vs South Africa, Durban, 2010
96 may seem a very petty score, particularly if you rate the knock as the fourth best effort by an Indian batsman abroad. But in the context of the game, in a game where not even a single player from both the sides could manage a score in excess of 40 runs in the 4 innings, that’s when you realise the true value of the 96 that Laxman scored in the game. With India already trailing 0-1 in the series, Indian bowlers came to the party and gave India a sizeable lead of 75 runs. The Onus now shifted to the batsmen to ensure that the efforts by the bowlers don’t get wasted. Laxman manipulated the strike, gave Zaheer Khan some confidence on the way stitching a 70 run partnership which in the end proved the difference between the sides. India won the game by 87 runs.
