281 and Beyond

By VVS Laxman and R. Kaushik

‘It never occurred to me to just play it safe and get to where no Indian had gotten before-a Test triple century. Do I regret reaching for the ball well outside off from McGrath that I spooned to point? Do I feel I should have batted out that one hour at my disposal and ticked off the 25 needed to get to the Promised Land? No, and no. I have never played my cricket that way . . . The individual milestone would have been terrific, but if I were to get the chance to replay that day, I would do exactly the same. I walked off the park immensely satisfied. I hadn’t missed out on 300 by 19 runs; I had made 281 . . . and put the team in a position from where we could expect to pull off a win against all odds. Isn’t that what you play the game for?’
A stylish batsman who could score against any kind of bowling, VVS Laxman played over a hundred Tests to aggregate more than 8000 runs. Cricket fans still remember with awe his game-changing knock of 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens. But playing for India was never easy, and despite his vast experience and unimpeachable skill, he never made it to a World Cup team.
All through his playing years, Laxman was known to be a soft-spoken man who kept his distance from controversy. Which is what makes this autobiography truly special. It’s candid and reflective, happy and sad by turns. He writes of dressing-room meltdowns and champagne evenings, the exhilaration of playing with and against the best in the world, the learnings with John Wright and the rocky times under Greg Chappell.
In 281 and Beyond, Laxman lays bare the ecstasy and the trauma of being one of the chosen XI in a country that is devoted to cricket.