I want to give my six hours of serious cricket on the ground and then take whatever the result.
If you don’t execute on your plans, then you don’t reach anywhere.
The only thing that was on my mind was, ‘I want to play for India one day,’ and I was pretty sure and confident that one day I will.
Every individual has his own style, his own way of presenting himself on and off the field.
Some people call it fearless, some people call it confidence. And I feel I’m confident of whatever I do.
Having, and seeing, your dreams is very important, and so is chasing those dreams. You see dreams when you sleep, and as you chase your dreams, it keeps you awake. So it’s important to stay awake.
Obviously if you’re positive, then there’s positive energy flowing in your body. The moments are smoother – thought process is smoother. But if there is doubt, then also your body’s not going to move that well, your thought process is not clear.
As a kid I loved John McEnroe. They called me Mac because, while everyone else liked Borg, I was crazy about McEnroe. I tried wearing headbands and sweatbands, and whooping at people. It didn’t quite work.
Before you lay a foundation on the cricket field, there should be a solid foundation in your heart and you start building on that. After that as you start playing more and more matches, you learn how to score runs and how to take wickets.
And that is the reason why this victory is great, because different players have made contributions to the win.
Isn’t cricket supposed to be a team sport? I feel people should decide first whether cricket is a team game or an individual sport.
Schools across India do not have teachers, libraries, playing grounds and even toilets. I do not want to see empty classrooms, empty libraries. I do not want to see cattle grazing on fields meant to be cricket or football grounds.
At the start of my career, when I used to toss and turn at night, I was fighting that feeling and wanting to go to sleep. Now I know that’s normal, so I’ll just get up and watch TV or something. I know it’s just my subconscious mind getting ready for a game.
Sourav’s greatest strength is his mind. He is hardworking – not only in the nets but also mentally. He bounces back.
It is my job to make runs for the country and win. That is the job I have to do.
I am not going to come back and play IPL. Have a few plans and may play a few matches here and there.
I really like Iceland. One of the nicest things about it is that I hardly ever had to reach for my credit card. There’s practically nothing there to go shopping for.
I need at least two months to try and figure out where the centre of the bat is.
Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching.
Sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I’m batting hundred-plus or whether I am on zero.