In an exclusive interview with espnstar.com, VVS Laxman said that he is looking forward to his county stint.

By Sudeer Mahavaadi

Q: How are you looking forward to this county stint?

VVS: Well I am looking forward to doing better this time. Last time my stint was very short but I was quite satisfied with my personal show and the team's show as well.

I scored a century against Warwickshire and another against Surrey and a couple of half centuries.

It was nice playing with some other overseas stars such as Australia's Stuart Law, Brad Hodge and the great Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. I am certainly going to miss all of them as according to the new rules, only one overseas player is allowed. But playing alongside a great all-rounder like Andrew Flintoff will be always enjoyable. Lancashire is a fantastic side, which has some outstanding cricketers. It will be another good experience for me to stay fit for the coming international competition. The team also did very well. We came very close to making history after 73 years to win the championship. But that did not unfortunately happen. Hope we will fare better this time.

Q: What formats you will preferring?

VVS: Well I am going to play the four-day matches and the forty-overs-a-side one dayers.

Q: How important will this tour be for you?

VVS: Very very important for me indeed. As we all know we will not be playing any Test series till next winter when Sri Lanka are expected to come to India. This stint will certainly help me stay fit. I am going to play almost the full season now unlike the last one. Playing in England is always a special joy for anyone. That is the best place to fine tune ourselves. And for players like me nothing can be better than playing in England.

VVS: Well I know what you want to ask me. You are right. We played New Zealand last in February and there is going to be eight months gap before we play Sri Lanka at home. Yes you are right it does become difficult to stay fit and motivate yourself. But when I come back from England the domestic season will have just begun. You can play local tournaments and some other important tournaments coming up. It won't be a big problem to motivate ourselves. You don't play Test matches round the year.

Q: Going back to your last stint with Lanchashire, you performed superbly after that against Pakistan at home and Australia away.

VVS: Yes the kind of form I showed in England helped me score in a big way. Yes I remember I scored a half century in Delhi and a century at Calcutta against Pakistan and a century at Sydney. Yes as I mentioned early England is the right place to fine tune yourself. This time also I fervently hope it will help me stay in good stead.

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