Laxman Hoping 100th Test Is Special

Indian batsman Vangipurappu Laxman hopes his rich vein of form against Australia will continue when he plays his 100th Test match from Thursday. "It's a great moment for me and for all the people associated in this journey of mine. I hope I can make it special," Laxman told Indian media on Wednesday. The stylish middle-order batsman will become the eighth Indian to play in 100 Test matches when he takes the field against the world's top-ranked side in the final Test at Nagpur. The hosts lead the four-match series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Mohali by 320 runs. Two Tests ended in draws. Six of Laxman's 13 Test centuries have come against Australia, including a second double hundred in last week's drawn third Test. "I have always enjoyed playing against them. It gives you a lot of satisfaction to do well against the top side in the world," said Laxman, 34. "They have always been number one since I started playing international cricket." An elegant stroke-maker, Laxman took the cricket world by storm in 2001 by making a then Indian Test record 281 against Australia in Kolkata, rallying the team to victory after being asked to follow on and sparking a comeback series triumph. Laxman, who made his Test debut in 1996, has scored 6,313 runs at 45.41. He will join Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly in the select band of Indians to play in 100 tests. © Reuters 2008