VVS Laxman had an eventful Test debut back in 1996 in Ahmedabad, scoring 11 and 51 in the first and second innings respectively against South Africa. Nevertheless, he failed in the next two games, paving for his axing from the side. In the subsequent tour of South Africa, Laxman could play in only one out of three Tests.
A duck in ODI debut aggravated the feeling that he should be back to domestic cricket. And the 45-year old, having creamed 1415 runs in nine matches during the 1999-00 Ranji Trophy. The same acted as a window for his comeback for the tour of Australia. The Hyderabad-born batsman scored 221 runs in three Tests on that visit with a high score of 167.