Lord's holds a special place in Sourav Ganguly's heart. It was there that his fairytale journey in Test cricket kick-started, with a century on debut, in 1996.
A decade and 93 Tests since then and the left-hander still can't get over the memories of that magnificent knock, which he regards as one of his best.
"The frame of mind in my first Test match was probably the best frame of mind I ever had in my Test career. And I could not develop that frame of mind in the last 11 years even though I have played all around the world," he said on Tuesday.
Coming in at number three, Ganguly, 23 then, played a solid innings of 131 as the match ended in a draw.
The left-hander exceeded all expectations in that match, which saw his senior colleagues, Sachin Tendulkar (31), Mohammad Azharuddin (16) and Ajay Jadeja (10), fail with the bat.
The former India captain is now hoping he can recreate some of that magic in the first Test at Lord's, starting on Thursday, which could also be his last Test at the historic venue.
"I wish I could get back to that mindset in this Test match," he said.
Asked the secret of that century, he replied: "I didn't have any nervousness then. I didn't have any fear of failure when I came here in 1996.
"Probably, it's the age factor. When you are young you don't worry about a lot of things, which you start doing once you play a lot and once you grow older. I was carefree and enjoyed the full five days of the Test match."
That match was redemption in many ways for Ganguly, who made his one-day debut in 1991-92 after which he was ignored for the next four years. Once he got the opportunity he never looked back.
"Those five days were different. I went into the Test match and went through the Test match without any pressure, without any fear of failure, without any fear of what is going to happen, which sometimes you have in different stages of your career. Sometimes when you are playing well, you are happy. Sometimes when you are not playing well, you are worried about your place, you are worried about your contribution to the side. But, somehow, that Test match I didn't have any of those worries," he said.
Despite the success he has enjoyed at Lord's, Ganguly says he is not taking anything for granted when the first Test gets underway.
"I am just looking to play well. I have done well here but that doesn't guarantee success this time. You have to start again and try to do well.
"It's a one-ball game for the batsman!"
