It’s been acclaimed as the knock of the century. No other innings evokes such fond memories and awe as VVS Laxman’s 281 at the Eden Gardens in 2001. The stylish Hyderabadi’s chutzpah and steely resolve allied beautifully in constructing a magnificent edifice that halted the bull run of Steve Waugh’s rampaging Aussies. Laxman vividly recounts that epic innings for TOI… Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Your tally of 1415 runs is still a record for a domestic season. Did playing quality spinners in the Hyderabad nets help in countering Shane Warne better?My dream was always to win the Ranji Trophy for Hyderabad and the 1415 runs I scored in nine matches were really a by-product of trying to contribute towards that goal. Looking back, the 1999–2000 domestic season is very special to me. That season gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance about my game. The 353 I scored in the Ranji semis against Karnataka was another memorable moment because it demanded a lot of concentration, patience and the ability to stay focused for long periods.
Coming into the Indian team after that season, naturally the confidence levels were quite high. But international cricket is always a different challenge especially when you are facing the quality bowling that Australia had at that time.In Hyderabad, I was fortunate to face some very good spinners in the nets. Those sessions were extremely valuable because they helped me develop methods against quality spin. Of course, nothing can truly replicate the skill and variation of someone like Shane Warne but regularly facing quality spin certainly helped build the confidence and clarity needed to counter him in matches.Tell us how did physio Andrew Leipus manage to put you on the park?Two days before the Test my back went into a severe spasm and I could barely move. The credit for getting me on the field really goes to Leipus. He worked tirelessly through the night and early morning, giving me treatment, stretching the muscles and managing the pain. Even though I was probably only about 50–60 per cent fit, both Sourav and John Wright wanted me to play the Test. For the entire match I wasn’t physically comfortable. Every movement reminded me of the pain in my back, but when you are representing your country, you simply find a way to endure the pain and keep going and the mind becomes stronger than the body.Pain seems to get the best out of you. Eden and then Mohali…I wouldn’t say pain brought the best out of me, but those moments certainly tested my resolve. At Eden the situation demanded patience and belief especially while building that partnership with Rahul. In Mohali (against Australia, Oct 2010), the back pain made every movement difficult, but when you are so close to helping your team win, you somehow find the strength to keep going. I feel grateful that on both occasions I could contribute in a way that helped India.Since your early days too, the longer you stay at the wicket, better the run flow…Early in the innings my focus was always on giving myself time at the crease and understanding the conditions, the pace of the wicket and how the bowlers were operating. Once I spent some time in the middle, my footwork became more decisive and I could pick the length much earlier, which makes a big difference. When that happens, the mind becomes clearer and the shots you practice in the nets start coming naturally in the game. From there it’s about trusting your natural game and being a little more proactive once you are set.
VVS Laxman (Getty Images)
Picking the length early is clearly the hallmark of your batting. Did you sense that it was your day?On that day even though we were under pressure, I felt I was seeing the ball well and my footwork was quite decisive, which helped me control my strokeplay. Picking the length early always gives you that extra bit of time to play your shots. But as a batsman you never really assume it’s going to be your day. The focus is simply on staying in the moment, being disciplined and building the innings session by session.In the first innings, Steve Waugh had fielders on the boundary to get you off strike and you were stroking the ball along the carpet…When you are in good rhythm you can still pierce the gaps along the ground and find the boundary. I was timing the ball really well at that stage and even though Steve Waugh had pushed a lot of fielders to the boundary, my focus was on placement. The idea was to stay positive, take most of the strike and continue building the innings without forcing anything.You and Rahul were involved in many partnerships for South zone. But here it was different. Rahul came down the order. Did he let it show at any point during that long partnership? And what were the mid-pitch conversations all about?Rahul and I had built some memorable partnerships right from our age group cricket. Just about a month before this Test, we had a 300-run stand for South zone against West in the Duleep Trophy. But here the situation was completely different. The match situation was quite grim and when he came in at No. 6, he was incredibly calm and professional. He understood exactly what the team needed and focused on the job at hand. Our conversations were mostly about staying patient, being proactive when the opportunity came and breaking the day into small passages. The key was to keep supporting each other and keep the scoreboard moving.The fifth-wicket partnership of 376 runs turned out to be pivotal…The immediate focus was on rebuilding the innings and batting time. Once Rahul and I settled in, the idea was to make the bowlers work hard and slowly wear them down. We tried to play to our strengths, rotate the strike and capitalise whenever they offered us an opportunity. As the partnership grew you could sense the pressure gradually shifting back onto Australia. Even after reaching our individual milestones, we never became complacent as the objective was to keep batting as long as possible and ideally get through the entire fourth day.
Given both your physical condition, playing sessions was a steep climb. How did you break it down?Physically it was very demanding, especially in those conditions, but both of us understood how important that partnership was for the team. Both of us had the ability to bat for long periods but we tried to break the day into smaller phases. When you approach it that way it really helps because you are only focusing on the next passage of play. We kept encouraging each other and reminding ourselves that the longer we stayed there the more the pressure would shift back onto Australia.The second new ball on the fourth morning was crucial…We knew the bowlers would come hard at us. So, the second new ball was a very important phase of the game. Our plan was to stay very compact, play late and leave well outside off stump as much as possible. The idea was to see off that initial spell and not give them any early wickets. Once the shine went off and we got through that period, it allowed us to regain control and start building the innings again.And the pressure got to the Australians because boundary balls started flowing?When a bowling attack has to keep coming back for long spells without success it can be quite challenging. Once Rahul and I were set, we tried to capitalise whenever they slightly missed their lengths and converted those opportunities into boundaries. That gradually shifted the momentum in our favour.Did players carrying drinks rile the Aussies too?There was a lot of energy around the ground and in the dressing room. The players bringing drinks would sometimes pass on messages or encouragement from the team and the crowd at Eden Gardens was incredibly vocal. I think at times that enthusiasm probably irritated the Australians a little, but for us it was just part of the support we were getting. What the Eden Test did for Indian cricket?At that time Australia were such a dominant side so beating them after following-on was incredibly significant. That match was very special for Indian cricket because it reinforced the belief that we could come back from extremely difficult situations and still win a Test match. It showed the value of resilience, patience and belief in Test cricket. For us as a team it gave tremendous confidence going forward and proved that if we stayed mentally strong, we could compete with the very best teams in the world.
| Since VVS Laxman was in good form in the first innings, when he scored a fluent half-century, coach John Wright and skipper Sourav Ganguly decided to swap his batting position with that of Rahul Dravid in the second innings on the third day. Laxman was promoted to No. 3, while Dravid moved down to No. 6 — a decision that would later become one of the most celebrated tactical moves in Test cricket history. |
