It’s an honest book that traces my journey: VVS

HYDERABAD: For someone who has a clean image and stayed clear of controversies, his autobiography is not expected to ruffle any feathers. After revealing the cover of his autobiography, aptly titled 281 and Beyond written by cricket journalist R. Kaushik, VVS Laxman said it’s an honest book that traces his journey from childhood to his Eden epic and the emotional days leading up to retirement.

“I am glad that it doesn’t have any controversies except the phase when I announced my retirement. I have also incorporated great dressing room moments, how I am with my colleagues, important decisions that I took, etc., and what I went through emotionally. It has all my experiences right from my childhood till my retirement. What goes through the mind of a cricketer, especially, at the time of deciding what career options he need weight at 17,” he said.

“My cricketing journey itself was so exciting and there were several emotional moments. I have been sharing all my experiences wherever I go and several people have been telling me that my experiences have been benefiting them greatly. So along with my uncle (Baba Krishna Mohan), Kaushik and other close friends, we thought it’ll be good if I can put all of that into a book. Perhaps it’ll be an opportunity for all the aspiring to learn from my journey about the life of a cricketer; which is why I decided to come up with my autobiography,” he added.

Eden Gardens is a lucky venue for Hyderabadi cricketers such as M.L. Jaisimha, Mohammad Azharuddin and Laxman. “There’s a special chapter in the book about what Eden means to me,” he said.

“It also highlights the role of various stakeholders (mentor, coach, parents, team, etc) around a cricketer. It also speaks about how tough it is for a boy from a conservative family to pick up cricket and how he went on to play more than 130 Tests for India,” he added.

Laxman thanked Kaushik for exhibiting great endurance in penning the book, which will be launched on November 15.