'Great to have Gilly and Symonds'

Chennai, India: V.V.S. Laxman had always enjoyed the tag of a cricketer and a gentleman, but his latest gesture towards the Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) perhaps takes the cake.

The affable middle order batsman chose to turn down the 'icon' status for his city team, something which could have made him the highest paid cricketer in the cash-rich league.

Australia's Andrew Symonds, the second highest beneficiary in IPL after M.S. Dhoni, commands $1.35 million and every icon cricketer is entitled to 15 per cent more pay than his team's highest paid cricketer.

Laxman turned down the chance, preferring the additional budget to be spent after the team. Following are the excerpts from the interview:

GULF NEWS: It's a rare sacrifice for a cricketer, isn't it?

LAXMAN: I won't call it a sacrifice. There were lot of discussions before the auctions in Mumbai. The strategy was to get the best combination and my decision to decline the icon status was part of those efforts.

Are you not showing undue humility even after such a gesture?

For me, the team is more important than anything else. I do believe that we have got the best combination which should be good enough to win the championship. For me, cricket is the top priority.

You have stars like Symonds and (Adam) Gilchrist in your team. Will it be a problem to handle them?

It is definitely a huge honour to be the captain of a side that includes so many great cricketers. They are all match winners with vast experience and they all know their responsibilities. Each one of them has a role to play in the team's success. Even the young cricketers who rub shoulders with the best should get a great chance to raise their game.

After the recent controversies over Symonds, do you think there could be a problem in accepting him?

I hope not and people in India should welcome him. There has been a lot of talk off the field involving him but I'm sure things will settle down. To me, it is great having both Symonds and Gilly in the side.

How does it feel to be a part of the Test team that is playing exceptionally well throughout the world...

We are in the process of becoming the number one team in Tests and it is surely going to be an exciting one. I am a part of it and want to continue to play for this side for as many days as possible.