Great great Laxman, lovely Laxman, the crowd was chanting and yelling at their hero. For, they were rejoiced to have their hero V V S Laxman into their backyard, after having bamboozled the Aussies in the just concluded Test and One day series. Laxman was felicitated here by the Ranga Reddy Cricket Association.

Q. Did you ever think you would play for India, i.e. is this your childhood dream or it just happened to you ?
A. Actually in my childhood days, I wanted to become a doctor, but when I was in my 11th class, my uncle picked me up and encouraged me to play cricket. And from there, things came on to me and I performed at various levels and now I am here.

Q. When we look back at this series, one can clearly point out that the third day at Kolkata really saw the turnaround in the Indian team, what actually happened till then ?
A. Actually I would not say that we were on a low, in the first test at Mumbai, it was the partnership of Hayden and Gillchrist which really took away the match from us and again we crumbled in the second innings. But at Kolkata, after the collapse in the first innings everyone of us were really keen to perform and we performed when it mattered the most...

Q. Now tell me sincerely, what was in your mind when you along with Rahul Dravid stepped in on the third day at Kolkata ?
A. See, as I said we crumbled in the first innings and I was very disappointed with the way I was given out in the first Innings and this time the only thing in my mind was to stay at the wicket for as much time as possible and that’s what happened and in the process I reached this milestone.

Q. Your scores at Eden Gardens are 96, 65, 59, and that memorable 281, do you feel that you have taken over it from Azhar, making it another ground where a Hyderabadi is dominating with the willow ?
A. Yaa..., its really electrifying to play at Eden Gardens. Its an amazing crowd there, and traditionally the pitch there is a batsman's paradise, and yes if I can continue the trend set in by Azhar bhai, I would be delighted.

Q. If one looks back at your previous performances, there were three monumental innings till now, the 365 against Karnataka in the Ranji Semi finals, the 167 at Sydney and of course the 281 at Kolkata, how would you rate these three innings ? 
A. Each one of these innings is equally important, i.e. when you consider the time of their occurrence. The triple century against Karnataka was the one which helped Hyderabad to get into the finals of the Ranji Trophy. We actually have been coming to the semi finals continuously for the past few years, but could not make it to the finals.

Scoring a century in Australia was always my dream, and the 167 at Sydney in one way was one of the most memorable knocks for me, but we ended up on the losing side.

Finally, the 281, as you all know got us back into the match from nowhere, no one ever gave us a chance after the first innings collapse. And to win the match after being forced to follow on is something which happens only once in a lifetime. Its very difficult to rate them in order of priority, each one of them is equally important.

Q. Coming back to your hundreds, most of them i.e. more than 80 percent of them have been those big hundreds, 150 and above, what actually keeps you going. Is it your concentration or the grit or what is it ?
A. Whether it is a league match or any first class game, my main aim always has been to see my side on the winning side. Actually it is very easy to get carried away after you score a century, you lose your concentration and get carried away, but I always feel that, it is the real time to stay at the wicket rather than giving away your wicket. That is when your team needs you the most, because you are seeing the ball clearly and you know the movements and conditions better than others.

Q. Now if you have a look at your performance in the one day internationals, previously your highest score was 43 and in this series against the Australians, you went on to set new scores in every match you played ?
A. After the test series, coach John Wright asked me not to worry about the scoring rate, your strike rate in the Tests has been amazing and he asked me to continue in the same way of playing and the result is evident.

Q. Coming to the issue of Coach John Wright, how instrumental has he been in this series? A. Oh...!!!, he has been very instrumental in the turnaround we had, his involvement with the team members has been amazing and his commitment to the team is immense. The camp which was held in Chennai was one of the best I have attended till now.

Q. Now what is your next target, the Zimbabwe series is coming up next month and later we are going to South Africa ?
A. Yes the Zimbabwe tour is very important, we have not won a test series abroad for a long time now and in this context its really challenging for me.