Having smashed an unbeaten double ton against his old-nemesis Australia, middle order batsman VVS Laxman on Thursday hit back at his critics, saying “all doubting Thomases” should stop advising senior players about their timing of retirement.

“There are doubting Thomases outside the team and not in the team. There were all sorts of stories built up before the series in the media but we took it positively and the team got together,” he said.

“It hurts (to know y