Normally players from the hostels don't give much importance to their fitness, but my case was different thanks to my coach. He helped me focus a lot on my batting and bowling which worked out really well for me in the future.

I have always maintained that if you work hard, it wont go waste, as recognition will come to you at some stage, whether in studies or sports. You need to have good intentions and intent to move ahead in life as well as in sports.

When you're successful, there will be friends, people, VIPs rallying around you. When you're down and out, you're all alone. That's why it's important to be a good person. Because whether you're a successful cricketer or not can always change, but the respect you earn by being the person you are stays with you.

I will never date an actor or a model. My family will never accept her. We are a middle class family, and an actress will never be able to gel with us.

I don't compete with others, but compete with myself.

My job is to perform, enjoy cricket and thank God for whatever he has given me.

I am not brand conscious. I wear what suits me.

At the international level, one has to keep working hard and develop new skills. International cricket is all about improving yourself.

I never have issues in handling the fame. I was in a boarding school, as I am from a middle-class family. We didn't have a lot of money, so we all learned to respect money and understood its real value.

Celebration is big for me. From my younger days, when I used to win mementos while playing basketball, I have always believed in sharing my success. It has to be there. It lifts the energy levels of the entire side if you are positive and vocal when a wicket falls.

I would never date or marry an actress. I will marry the girl of my mom's choice.

For me, fielding is everything - it is a passion that comes from within. You can get a bad ball while you bat, and your bowling may not always be up there, but you are completely in control of how well you field.

I am very close to my family. I have learned a lot from my father. He used to tell me to be honest with yourself and not to argue with your seniors. You dont need to be involved in any quarrel, as sometimes you need to remain silent intelligently.

I am trying hard to better my performances every match.

I think Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket.

As a player, I like playing as much cricket as possible, irrelevant of the format.

We definitely have a lot of talent in India for football. It is great to see football's growing popularity and I really hope a larger number of corporate companies invest in the game so that one day we have a great team to boast about.