V.V.S. Laxman says his forthcoming autobiography ‘281 And Beyond,’ written by well-known cricket correspondent R. Kaushik and brought out by Westland Publications, will be an honest book tracing his journey in life and in cricket sharing the experiences right from his childhood to being teammate to some of the biggest names in Indian cricket like the ‘Fab Four’ Sachin, Dravid, Sehwag, Saurav and how different it was batting with each one of them.
In an informal chat with select media after formally releasing the paper cover of the biography here on Friday, the elegant Hyderabadi reveals the the challenges, both on the field and off it, right from childhood to the post-retirement.
“I can say that this book is more of a suggestive one to the parents and the coaches that cricket can be one option for their kids. The whole endeavour has been to present my career in such a way it will help many young talent to get inspired,” Laxman said reminding the contribution of his mentor and uncle Baba Krishna Mohan.
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“Yes, it lists out the difficult phase when he had to choose between academics (wanted to be a doctor) and a cricketer and how the parents went through the long thorough process, especially when cricket in 1990s was not as professional as it is today. The role of coaches at the State-level for that early days are the most crucial for any athlete,” he explained.
“The book quite naturally has special chapters on the what we all (Indian players) went through from the beginning of the first Test against Steve Waugh-led Aussies in 2001 Test series at home. How coach John Wright shaped the mindset of all of us, made us set goals and importantly achieve them,” Laxman said.
“Yes, in naming the book around that epic knock of 281 at Eden Gardens in the 2001 Test match was to let everyone relate to that most significant chapter in my journey and also that of Indian cricket in terms of changing the attitude of the whole team thereafter,” he said.
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“The book also touches on what kind of emotions I had undergone — not just about the success stories like my first Test century in Sydney but also like how I felt when I was dropped for the 2003 World Cup, for a Test match against South Africa,” Laxman said. “It has a special chapter on Eden Gardens — one of my favourite venues,” he added.
“I must mention that the author, a dear friend of mine R. Kaushik, has been very flexible along with the publishers in bringing out the book is the culmination of team work in which I always believed,” he said.
“Fortunately, I have been away from controversies in cricket and in life. I think the only one was after my announcement of retirement. So, the effort was never to spice up the book but to also given an insight into Laxman himself like handling some emotional moments in tough phases, how quickly I learnt,” he said with a big smile.
The book will be officially launched on November 19 in the City.