Laxman undergoes surgery; expected to be fit for South Africa tour

Star Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman has undergone an orthoscopic surgery for his knee injury in Sydney and is now making a steady recovery.

Laxman, whose right knee was operated upon by one of Australia's leading knee surgery specialists Dr Michael Johnson on Friday, was expected to be fully fit within four weeks.

The stylish batsman from Hyderabad, who effected one of the greatest turnarounds in Test history when India defeated Australia after following-on in Kolkata earlier this year, said on Tuesday that he hoped to be fit for the South Africa tour starting on October 1.

"I am looking forward to play the South Africa series in October," he said.

"It is my first experience with any kind of surgery. It is painful, but getting better," he said.

Laxman's injury was detected during the triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka in the first week of this month. He continued to play the entire tournament but skipped the ongoing Test series.

On his second day of physiotherapy under Patrick Farhat, a physiotherapist of the Australian and New South Wales team, he was told that he was showing 'steady progress'.

Famous here as 'Very Very Special', cricket lovers were surprised to hear him on an Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio channel in a chat show this morning discussing the India-Australia series.

"I came here for the treatment because my doctor, Dr Raghav Dutt, referd me to Dr Johnson. I have known the doctor and he is very good.

"Besides 'Sporting Frontiers Cricket', the company managing my affairs is also here and I have lot of friends here," Laxman said.