5 great batsmen who never averaged 50 in Tests

#2 VVS Laxman

Laxman scored 8000+ runs in his career

Along with the silken touch he had in his wrists, VVS Laxman also posessed the determination which saw him change India’s Test fortunes in 2001 when he played one of the all time great innings in Test history – 281 vs Australia at Eden Gardens.

Laxman’s topsy turvy career took off from then on and he became a permanent fixture in the side till his retirement, guiding India’s fortunes with the certainty of a professional and the grace of an artist.

	Matches	Innings	N.O.	Runs	Average	100	50
Overall Career	134	225	34	8781	45.97	17	56
Highest Average	116	191	30	7695	47.79	16	48

But Laxman is still not counted in the same breath as other top batsmen of his era, experts point out to him not converting fifties into big hundreds as one reason. But given that the likes of Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkar batted before him, Laxman had relatively fewer opportunities to settle in and get big scores.

Laxman ended his career with an average of almost 46, a very respectable number for someone who batted at no.5 and 6 for a majority of his career. He achieved his career-best average at the end of his 116^th Test at 47.79.

For a batsman who in full flight, was a sight for sore eyes, may have missed out on his true stature.