The shackles of discipline or the borders of acceptable conduct are not for him. It evokes awe and applause, forces grown men to squeal and allows him excesses and intemperance. The 'artist' is well aware his gift is a wonder. Being a maverick of sorts is acceptable, almost expected, in 'sporting artist' territory. For a man of such blessed gifts, Laxman was an oddball really. How once the batsman lost sight of the ball it would turn violently to crash into stumps he felt were safely protected. How the precision pass would dissect the defense. How the wrist would flick the forehand across court with a feather touch. Laxman would caress it politely towards that destination. A leg-break aimed at the base of the front pad isn't destined for the extra cover fence. An out-swinger starting off-stump must be caressed through point or cover. He is Shane Warne with a cricket ball in his palm.

He is John McEnroe with a racquet in his hand. He is Diego Maradona with a football at his feet. The 'artist' journeys us into the unreal, the unfathomable. For those of us who watch sport from the outside, it is essentially about appreciating angles. I have though been compelled to wonder in these last few days how a 'sporting artist' must find definition. The magnificence of Laxman's presence at the crease has been captured with much eloquence by writers more gifted than this one, so to attempt another such tribute would be foolish.

Admittedly, it captures the Hyderabadi well, as the shape and form of his batting was justifiably artistic. In the breathless emotion that followed his departure, one word has dominated the discourse: 'Artist'. Allowing little time for the cricket board to fathom the right response, leaving his family in shock and condemning cricket writers to turn over rapid copy on a figure they had grown accustomed to describing at leisure. From murmur to confirmation, the story of his exit traversed less than a day. For a man as unhurried as he was at the batting crease, VVS Laxman left in a flash of lightning.

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