‘Playing for India, the mind becomes stronger than the body’: VVS on his epic Eden knock

It has been hailed as the knock of the century. No other bureau evokes such fond memories and awe as this Pipe Laxman281st Session in Eden, 2001. Stylish Hyderabad’s audacity and steely determination perfectly combined to build a majestic edifice that halted the bull run. Steve WaughRaging Aussies. Laxman brings TOI’s epic match to life… Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Your score of 1415 runs remains a domestic season record. Will using quality spinners in Hyderabad Nets help provide a better counter to Shane Warne?My dream has always been to win the Ranji Trophy for Hyderabad and the 1415 runs I scored in 9 games was actually a by-product of working hard to achieve that goal. Looking back, the 1999-2000 domestic season was very special to me. That season gave me confidence and assurance in my game. My score of 353 in the Ranji semi-final against Karnataka was another memorable moment as it requires great concentration, patience and the ability to stay focused for long periods of time.

Entering the Indian team after the season, the confidence is naturally quite high. But international cricket is always a different challenge, especially when you face the quality bowling Australia had at the time.In Hyderabad, I was lucky enough to face some very good spinners in the nets. These courses were extremely valuable as they helped me develop my approach to mass rotation. Of course, nothing can truly replicate the technique and change-up of someone like Shane Warne, but facing quality spin regularly will certainly help build the confidence and clarity needed to play against him in the game.Tell us how physio Andrew Leipus got you on the field?Two days before the test, I had severe back spasms and could barely move. The credit really goes to Leps for getting me on the field. He worked tirelessly throughout the night and early morning to provide me with treatments, stretch my muscles, and manage my pain. Even though my health is probably only 50-60%, Sourav and John Wright Want me to take a test. I wasn’t feeling well the whole game. Every movement reminds me of the pain in my back, but when you represent your country you just find a way to endure the pain and keep going and the mind becomes stronger than the body.Pain seems to bring out the best in you. Eden, then Mohali…I wouldn’t say the pain got the best of me, but those moments definitely tested my resolve. At Eden, the situation required patience and faith, especially when it came to a partnership with Rahul. During the Mohali game (vs Australia, October 2010), back pain made every move difficult, but when you are so close to helping your team win, you somehow find the strength to keep going. I am grateful that I was able to contribute to helping India both times.From your early days, the longer you stay at the wicket, the better the flow of runs will be…In the early stages of the innings, my focus is always on giving myself time at the crease and understanding the conditions, the pace of the wicket and how the bowlers operate. Once I spent some time in the middle, I became more decisive in my steps and I could choose lengths earlier, which made a big difference. When this happens, the mind becomes clearer and the shots you practice at the net start to come naturally in the game. From here, it’s all about trusting your natural playing ability and becoming more proactive when you’re ready.

Choosing length early is obviously a sign of batting. Do you ever feel like today is your day?Even though we had pressure that day, I felt like I saw the ball well and I was decisive with my feet, which helped me control my shots. Choosing your length early always gives you extra time to hit the ball. But as a batsman, you never really think it’s going to be your day. The focus is just to stay in the moment, be disciplined and build the game play by play.In the first innings, Steve Waugh gets the fielder out on a boundary to get you out of a strike and you caress the ball along the carpet…When you’re in a good rhythm, you can still penetrate gaps in the ground and find boundaries. My timing with the ball was very good at that stage and although Steve Waugh was pushing a lot of fielders to boundaries, my focus was on positioning. The idea is to stay positive, take most of the strikes and continue to build the innings without forcing anything.You and Rahul have been involved in many partnerships in South Zone. But it’s different here. Rahul ordered. Has he shown this at any point during this long relationship? What is the middle dialogue about?Rahul and I have had some memorable partnerships right from our age group cricket days. Just a month before this Test, we had played 300 overs for the South Zone versus the West Zone in the Duleep Trophy. But the situation here is completely different. The game was tough and when he came on in sixth he was extremely calm and professional. He understands exactly what the team needs and focuses on the job at hand. Our conversation was mostly about being patient, being proactive when opportunities arise, and breaking the day into small chunks. The key is to continue to support each other and keep the scoreboard moving forward.The fifth wicket partnership of 376 runs proved to be crucial…The immediate priority is to rebuild innings and batting time. Once Rahul and I settled in, the idea was to make the bowlers work hard and tire them out slowly. We tried to play to our strengths, rotate our offense and take advantage of the opportunities they gave us. As the partnership develops, you can feel the pressure gradually shifting back to Australia. Even after reaching our personal milestones, we never became complacent as our goal was to keep hitting the ball for as long as possible, ideally through the entire fourth day.

Playing ball is an uphill climb given your physical condition. How do you break it down?Physically it’s very demanding, especially in those conditions, but we all understand how important that partnership is to the team. We both have the ability to hit the ball for long periods of time, but we try to break the day into smaller sessions. It really helps when you approach it this way because you’re only focused on the next passage of the game. We kept encouraging each other and reminding ourselves that the longer we were there, the stress would shift back to Australia.The second new ball on the fourth morning was crucial…We knew the bowlers were going to hit us hard. So, the second new ball is a very important phase of the game. Our plan was to stay very compact, play late and stay as far away from the stumps as possible. The idea was to end the initial spell by not giving them any early wickets. Once the light faded and we got through that period, it allowed us to regain control and start building innings again.Australians under pressure as boundary balls started flowing?It can be quite challenging when the bowling attack has to attack continuously for long periods of time without success. Once Rahul and I are in position, we try to take advantage of the little bit of time they miss and convert those chances into boundaries. This gradually shifted the momentum in our favor.Did players bringing drinks also anger Australians?There was a lot of energy on the pitch and in the dressing room. Players bringing drinks sometimes delivered messages or encouragement from the team, and the crowd at Eden Gardens was incredibly vocal. I think sometimes that enthusiasm can irritate Australians a little bit, but for us it’s just part of the support we get. What impact will the Eden Gardens Test have on Indian cricket?Australia were a dominant team at the time, so beating them in the subsequent games meant a lot. That match was very special for Indian cricket because it reinforced the belief that we could bounce back from extremely difficult situations and still win a Test match. It demonstrates the value of resilience, patience and belief in Test cricket. For us as a team, this gives us huge confidence moving forward and proves that if we stay mentally strong we can compete with the best teams in the world.