India may be in dire straits but middle order batsman VVS Laxman believes all is not lost yet and the team can conjure up "something special" on Day 4 to save the second Test against New Zealand.
India are clearly down in the dumps, needing 267 runs to avoid an innings defeat with nine wickets in hand after New Zealand enforced the follow-on on Day 3.
"It's a great opportunity not only for me but the entire team to do something special. We are all looking forward to the next two days and I'm quite confident that we'll do something special," Laxman said after the third day's play.
Drawing inspiration from the past, Laxman said, "We are quite positive. We have done some amazing things in the past. We take a lot of confidence from what we have achieved in the past.
"It is one more opportunity to do something special. We have come out of some tough situations. And, as recent as in December, we won chasing a Test match, getting almost 400 runs against England on the final day," he said.
To pull it off, Laxman said the team will take it session by session on Sunday.
"We need to have short-term goals. We need to take it session by session, than aiming at what we can achieve over the next two days. We have set small targets and we will go out and achieve them," he explained.
Laxman and Rahul Dravid looked like scripting yet another Indian turnaround before the former India captain departed, triggering a batting collapse.
Laxman lamented their partnership, worth 81, did not prosper as desired.
"Both of us were looking to bat the entire day. It was unfortunate that Rahul fell just when the second new ball was due. It was disappointing that we were not able to continue because we were confident in the way both of us were batting that we could bat the whole day and set the team for a good total," Laxman said.
This was an opportunity for Yuvraj Singh as well, but the left-hander perished without opening his account, leaving the team in a precarious position.
Laxman, however, was quick to spring to Yuvraj's defence.
"It is so unfortunate that someone fails in one innings you put pressure on him. He has done tremendously well in both forms of the game. He has won us a Test match against England and played really well in the second Test in Mohali and recently had a wonderful one-day series.
"He is an amazing talent who is potentially a match-winner and one of the best talents India has produced," Laxman said.
Asked if India had paid the price for being complacent against the Kiwi spinners, the 34-year-old said, "Both of them (Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel) are quality spinners. When you are playing international cricket and you are playing for your country you are definitely not complacent. I think both of them bowled really well. Instead of thinking we were complacent, you should give credit to them for the way they bowled.
"They bowled really disciplined lines and lengths. See, we all played our natural games, and sometimes while playing your natural games you can fail. You should give credit to how the Kiwi bowlers stuck to the task," he said.
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