JOHANNESBURG, May 25: He may not have played through their campaign — and had in fact been advised to return home — but Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist had special words for V.V.S. Laxman in the aftermath of their victorious run to the IPL-2 title here on Sunday.

"It is not because of one person or one leadership group, it was much more than that," Gilchrist said. "Everyone just poured in. Laxman obviously went through a lot emotionally as he had the captaincy taken away from him.

"He has been here and played just five games. We told him that we did not need him in the end of the tournament. But we wanted him to contribute with his vast knowledge and experience.

"He worked with our fitness trainer, fielding coach and Darren (Lehmann). It was actually exciting to see what he epitomises. The youngsters had a lot to learn from him and his own willingness to try and do better was awesome," he said.

"V.V.S. epitomises what the franchise has been this year."

Gilchrist said the IPL has given members of the India squad some vital practice ahead of the World Twenty20 Championship in England next month.

"Obviously, India were the only national team that had every member of their T20 World Cup squad playing in this tournament. That’s an advantage.

"I can’t wait to watch, it’s going to be interesting to see how it goes. Having been in Twenty20 mode, that’s going to help a lot of the players," Gilchrist felt.