Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.
I do believe in God. But you won't find me visiting temples every now and then. I believe in self-realization. Peace of mind matters a lot to me. What's the point in doing something just for the sake of it? I'd rather do something I like doing as long as I'm being true to myself.
I like to be myself, and I don't pretend. For instance, I don't dress up for occasions; I am what I am.
The bat is not a toy, it's a weapon. It gives me everything in life, which helps me to do everything on the field.
No cricket team in the world depends on one or two players. The team always plays to win.
Whatever you want to do, do with full passion and work really hard towards it. Don't look anywhere else. There will be a few distractions, but if you can be true to yourself, you will be successful for sure.
I delayed my father's funeral because of cricket.
On the field, aggression can sometimes be a positive emotion. It boosts performance and can lift your game. But over the years, I have learnt that restrained aggression is a better animal. That way, you will conserve your energy and won't spend yourself quickly.
A fit body gives you confidence. And there's nothing more impressive than a great attitude, which you can wear on your sleeve. But you'll have to remember the difference between being rude and being confident.
I always dreamt of holding the bat and winning games for India. That was my inspiration to take up cricket.
Pretension is a poor joke that you play on yourself. Snap out of it. Recognise your strengths, work on your weaknesses. Real achievement is liking what you see in the mirror every morning.
Irrespective of whether you have talent or not, one has to work hard. Just being talented doesn't mean anything; you can end up wasting it before you realize.
I believe that fairness creams protect the skin against the harsh effects of the sun.
In cricket, my superhero is Sachin Tendulkar. He has always been my hero and will continue to remain so. Apart from him and outside cricket, my mother has remained my inspiration. Whatever difficult time I had faced, she was always there for me. She has given me all the strength. She maintained her composure and supported me in tough times.
I love playing under pressure. In fact, if there's no pressure, then I'm not in the perfect zone.
I want my wardrobe to be full of good clothes, so that when I'm deciding what to wear, I don't run out of options. I love shopping!
Becoming an inspiration for kids is great. I want to inspire them to do whatever they want to.
I support Real Madrid. I'm a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Probably because I'm from a middle class family, I have that nature in me that I don't get too excited with big things.
I do not abuse players. I talk to myself; I abuse myself. It's my way of letting off steam. I do it after every century; I do not do it always. I keep telling myself: 'Improve, improve from the previous match, the previous shot. You can do it.'
