<p>Having sweated on Laxman’s fitness for the last three days, India received a huge boost on Friday evening when the stylish Hyderabadi came away unscathed from a fitness test at the Chinnaswamy stadium, a day before India and Australia do battle in the second Test.<br /><br />The sore back that hampered his movements in Mohali hasn’t healed entirely, but Laxman went through a regimen of batting, running between the wickets and holding catches with little discomfort. <br /><br />That there was no stiffness in the back even till late in the evening was another encouraging sign, but India will wait until tomorrow before making a final call.<br /><br />Already without first Test hero Ishant Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, India can ill afford to be minus Laxman too when play begins at 9:30 am at a venue where the hosts haven’t won a Test for 15 years. <br /><br />Should Laxman not be available, it could mean a Test debut for Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.<br /></p>
<p>Having sweated on Laxman’s fitness for the last three days, India received a huge boost on Friday evening when the stylish Hyderabadi came away unscathed from a fitness test at the Chinnaswamy stadium, a day before India and Australia do battle in the second Test.<br /><br />The sore back that hampered his movements in Mohali hasn’t healed entirely, but Laxman went through a regimen of batting, running between the wickets and holding catches with little discomfort. <br /><br />That there was no stiffness in the back even till late in the evening was another encouraging sign, but India will wait until tomorrow before making a final call.<br /><br />Already without first Test hero Ishant Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, India can ill afford to be minus Laxman too when play begins at 9:30 am at a venue where the hosts haven’t won a Test for 15 years. <br /><br />Should Laxman not be available, it could mean a Test debut for Saurashtra batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.<br /></p>
