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.
Any active sportsman has to be very focused; you've got to be in the right frame of mind. If your energy is diverted in various directions, you do not achieve the results. I need to know when to switch on and switch off: and the rest of the things happen around that. Cricket is in the foreground, the rest is in the background.
There are a few players who don't like to think about the game.
It doesn't always happen according to the way you have planned things out but I feel if you have covered most of the aspects, it does help out there in the middle.
But eventually it is a game of cricket.
Beating Pakistan is always special because they are a tough team and we have a bit of a history regarding Pakistan.
From the spinners, Anil and I have been together for a long time and I respect him a lot.
I always had a dream to play for India but I never let it put pressure on me.
I feel when somebody has been playing cricket for a long time, he creates a separate identity for himself.
I have never believed in comparisons, whether they are about different eras, players or coaches.
I have played for 15 years and it has been a dream.
I just want to continue the way I am going.
I want to give my six hours of serious cricket on the ground and then take whatever the result.
If one man is representing India in cricket, then yes, blame that person when things go wrong.
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.
It has been very good here, but the World Cup game was different. It had a different significance to it.
Lara's done very well recently and I never had any doubts about the abilities of Lara or Waugh.
New Zealand's Daniel Vettori is a very good bowler.
The Australian tour was good for us; it was ideal preparation for us.
Wasim and Waqar were amazing bowlers. I would put them right up there with the best in the world.
