"I believe in my abilities."
"I believe in my abilities."
"With time, you do get mature."
"I like embracing other cultures."
"We all should be happy. We have got one life."
"Some failures should not overshadow all the wins."
"Everyone has their own individuality and character."
"Once you are experienced, your mind is calm and at ease."
"It's good sometimes when you fall; you learn lots of things out of it."
"I am cool and aggressive: aggressive from inside and cool from outside."
"If we focus on processes, the results will automatically take care of themselves."
"People can be critical about your game, but no one knows better than the player as to what he needs."
"When things don't go your way, it bites you from within, and you have to find a way to get out of it."
"Once I am in, I can demolish any side because that is my strength."
"I know I perform best when I stay calm."
"For me, failure is not a bad thing because it teaches you how to succeed."
Courage comes normally to me.
I only like songs with strong lyrics
I have been captain for my Delhi team.
With time, I am knowing my game better.
I've always loved coming back to Vizag.
I try to back myself as much as possible.
I want to keep scoring runs consistently.
It's always good to learn from every match.
I started listening to Sufi music when I was 21.
It's always good to end a home series on a high note.
I feel, if keep hitting the same shot, I get better at it.
I love doing my fitness drills and work on my skill level.
I am always looking forward to learn new things in my life.
As a batsman, I want to stay as long as possible at the crease.
One thing about me is that I don't like to be sad all the time.
I am happy that whatever I dreamt of achieving, I have done that.
Working with Ravi Shastri as Team Director was a good experience.
Since coming into T20s, I have improved a lot in the death overs.
Yes, I have an Australian wife; she is half Bengali, half British.
I enjoy the company of overseas people. It's always good learning.
When you play on foreign pitches, you get used to their conditions.
Swing has always been my strength, and I am also working hard on it.
When the ball is swinging, you really need to play close to your body.
I know my technique suits all sorts of wickets, so I just back myself.
I worked really hard and changed myself and became a more mature player.
You are bound to undergo hardships, and it has been no different for me.
An all-rounder in Tests and limited-overs' cricket is equally important.
I do tennis ball drills mostly for bouncers, for my muscle memory as well.
You've got to believe in yourself that you will get the runs for your team.
The pressure of chasing 230 is naturally always less compared to chasing 300.
I am very fond of ghazals. I like ghazals from Jagjit Singh and Sir Ghulam Ali.
I believe it's a wrong conclusion to draw that Indians can't play spin bowling.
I have matured as a batsman. I am very happy that I have become more consistent.
The most important thing is to keep our basics strong in both batting and bowling.
I knew I have those skills and capabilities to perform at the international level.
Before I made my Test debut, I had played nearly nine years of first-class cricket.
The hunger for runs is always there, irrespective of whether I was getting runs or not.
Whenever I play, red ball or white ball, I utilise whatever knowledge I have of the game.
You have to work on your fitness, maintain it. I try to do it whenever I have an off day.
I am not that sort of a guy who feels the pressure. I have the ability to remain unfazed.
You have to respect the bowler, and every batsmen have their way of tackling the spinners.
I realised that I have the ability to play at the highest level and started to work harder.
If you score runs against an international attack, the self-belief automatically increases.
A lot of the guys worry about their form. For me, it is just about being persistent and patient.
I will make a lot of mistakes and have to learn from them. It is part and parcel of the captaincy.
As a kid, we all have dreamt that we wanted to play with Sachinpaaji, and that dream has come true.
I still remember when I debuted for India in One-dayers and got out on zero against Australia only.
Now I am seen as a successful cricketer, but the fact is that I have had more failure than success.
If I get a good delivery, I just defend it, and If I get a loose ball, then I hit it and make runs.
I now have a better understanding of my game than what it was in 2013 in my first year in Test cricket.
People tell me about my record in ICC events, but frankly speaking, the intent has always been the same.
Whenever I have experienced failure in my career, those experiences have made me more mature as a player.
I have tweaked little things in my game, nothing major. When you change little things, the impact is big.
I guess people think that I am quite a serious guy with my looks, but I am not; I am totally the opposite.
There will always be rivalry on the field. Off the field, we are friends, but on it, we have to do our job.
I make sure I cut down the negative thoughts and accept the reality there is. If it is going good, it is good.
It happens with every batsman; sometimes, despite feeling good in the nets, you don't score runs in the match.
Apart from my parents and coach Tarak Sinha, my wife has been a big support, and so has been my two daughters.
Malinga has been a legend for Sri Lankan cricket, and he has done great in international cricket in all formats.
I do not read newspapers. I do not take any information which I don't want to take. I make sure I keep my composure.
At the end of the day, my job is to play cricket, and till the time I am playing against any opposition, I am happy.
To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
I like to keep myself fit at the pace of the game. I just focus on my process, including my fitness, skills, and fielding.
It is very important to take a break and feel fresh, which we Indian cricketers don't get much of, so we are not used to it.
Shot selection is very important because you don't want to lose wickets at the start and put pressure on the rest of the side.
It's a great feeling to be captaining the Sunrisers team. It's really an honour for me, and I am looking forward to do the job.
When I was not doing well, I was just focussing on my processes. And when I am doing well, I am still focussing on my processes.
When you are playing, you play as rivals. When off the field, we are friends. I feel that's a good thing. That's the beauty of IPL.
The want to get more runs increases when there is a dearth of it. At those times, it is important to be patient and keep your calm.
I feel good to work with Kumble bhai. He is a well-read person and a dedicated coach. I also like his aggressive approach to the game.
If I don't score runs in 5-10 games, it doesn't mean that everything is lost. I know what kind of a player I am and what my capabilities are.
The support of the coaches Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly... Their experience as a captain, along with the belief they instill in us, is great.
When facing bowlers or throw downs, it is not possible to feed the ball in one place at all times; therefore, tennis ball practice comes in handy.
Technique is the main thing when it comes to success at the top level. The sound temperament comes into work only when you have a sound technique.
When I was out of India's T20 team, I did feel sad but at the same time got tremendous motivation within myself to do well and come back in the team.
I love having fun and make people laugh. And that's my quality, which has been blessed by God and I love doing it, bringing smiles on the face of people.
IPL is a platform for players to get noticed and maybe make it to the Indian team, but the focus should be on performance rather than thinking about India selection.
When I scored my first century, I naturally lifted my arms up, feeling very happy, looking at the Almighty above. That became my signature style. All these things are natural, not practised.
Once you score big runs at the start of your international career, you get really confident because that is one part which is really tough, as every player is nervous at the start of the career.
With Anil bhai, it is not only Virat or any other big player, but every player is in his scheme of plans. Even the ones who will not be playing regularly in the side. I feel that is a very important thing.
As you go along the way, you learn new things, but my basic game has remained the same. You learn about the mental aspect of the game as in how to disturb the flow of the bowlers. You get matured with experience.
I said jokingly that if you bat like a king, you should also get out like a king; you should not be dismissed like a soldier. If you have made runs aggressively, then you will get out that way, too. That's how it is.
It's when the runs are not coming that even the minutest of flaws are viewed under the microscope. You look into your game and try to pick every single thing you can improve about it. At the end of it, you emerge as a better player than you were.
I think it is a good thing for Indian cricket that there is so much competition for opening slot. Players put in more effort because you can be kicked out if you don't play well and make mistakes. I take it positively and try to ensure that I give my best.
In domestic cricket - whether it is Ranji Trophy or other first class matches - in the first year, not many opponents will know about your game, but by the time you are into the third or fourth year, the opponents would have found out your strengths and weaknesses, and they will work on it.