I delayed my father's funeral because of cricket.
I believe that fairness creams protect the skin against the harsh effects of the sun.
I always dreamt of holding the bat and winning games for India. That was my inspiration to take up cricket.
No cricket team in the world depends on one or two players. The team always plays to win.
You have to stay fresh and blank in your mind when you go out to bat. You complicate things, and you're gone.
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.'
I don't really read a lot of newspapers. I don't pay attention to what is being said or written about me. I've had lots of experiences in the past when I got too much into it. That sort of diverts your focus.
I don't believe in signing anything and everything that comes my way. I leave it to my agency to help narrow them down for me, but I do research it myself before signing. The image of the brand and its ambassadors go hand in hand.
I have made a few mistakes early on that I admit myself, and there have been times when I have gone over the top and done things that you shouldn't do in international cricket, but that's how you learn.
I wasn't sure of the exact mindset you should have when you go into a Test match. So I probably became too defensive when I played my first Test match. Short balls in one-day cricket, I have never thought of just defending.
I've been lucky - all the ads I've got, I've got to be myself. I haven't had to act too much or tried too hard to be someone I'm not. I think that's why people sort of like them. Even the Fastrack ads I did with Genelia.
In the game of cricket, a hero is a person who respects the game and does not corrupt the game. The one who doesn't or corrupts the game, they are the villain. They should be punished, and they have been punished in the past.
Never at any point did I feel like missing a training session. I was very keen on improving as a cricketer and as an international player.
My priority is cricket. Everything that I get apart from it is a result of the effort on the field. Everything else follows. I am pretty aware of my priorities, and I don't really focus on things that are not as important to me as cricket.
It undoubtedly feels nice when you are being appreciated and you get complimented by girls. Who doesn't like that? Having said that, I don't take it as any pressure.
Whatever I am, it's natural... I don't have to pretend to be aggressive, don't have to show the opposition that I am on the field. Being aggressive comes naturally to me, helps me perform.
People from North India are generally known to be aggressive and emotional.
'Border' was the first movie that I watched on the big screen. It always takes me back to my childhood.
The more centuries that I am able to score, the happier I will be.
There are two bowlers who I think are very tough to play against - Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
At some point he seemed to lose all confidence trying to break down the Berlin Wall. He was still fighting as only Kasparov can, but I could see it in his eyes that he knew he wasn't going to win one of these games.
