Growing up, I played on matting wickets. I always enjoyed the pace and bounce and somewhere that has a big role or big effect on your game.
— K. L. Rahul
My only sentiment is to win.
I don't really have routines or follow what my coaches tell me or how people want me to be: this stereotypical 'sleep on time and set good examples' person. I don't really know what setting a good example is.
I obviously respect the opportunity I have got to play for the country.
Whenever I get opportunities at the top of the order, that's the position I enjoy.
Fitness is also about being well-rested, eating well, etc.
I am a sporty person who loves to go to the gym, train, play football.
Every day, I want to be a winner. I want to train my best; I want to work my best.
As a team, you try to win - you try to push in as many overs you can - but that's how it's played.
I can get runs much faster if I stay there in the middle to give bowlers more time and cushion.
Each time I go back to bat, I will want to get more and more runs.
I respect Test cricket a lot. Once I got into the Test team, I learnt so much about international cricket and realised it's not so different.
When I came into Test cricket, I was good but not as good as I am now.
I have always been someone who takes things as they comes.
It's a team game, and you need to be flexible.
I enjoy wicket-keeping in the shorter format. I think when we are bowling first, it gives me an idea of how the wicket is behaving.
I had to prepare hard for number four because that's not where I batted all my life.
While growing up, I used to go to the beach, as I used to find peace there.
There are only a few times in a batsman's life when he gets really eager: when you want to get off the mark or when you are approaching 100 or 200.
Sometimes, you tend to hold back, maybe because you have lost a few wickets or something. But when I bat, I'm never shy of doing what my mind says.
2018 was magical for me as far as IPL is concerned.
For somebody like me who doesn't bowl, it's important to contribute in the field, and I've worked hard on that, slip catching.
Both my parents are teachers, and while they were always cool with what I did, they never let me take my education lightly.
I'm not a person that sets a long-term goal. My goals are on an everyday basis.
As an opening batsman, it's my responsibility to spend as much time in the middle as I can and try and get big scores in the first innings so that we don't have to bat in the second innings.
Nobody wants to lose game.
If you get off to a good start, even if you get the run-rate down a bit in the middle overs, if you are set till the end, you can do the most damage.
No matter how well I have taken care of my body, I have been injured a few times, which is very unfortunate and which is very disappointing. But each time, I have come back, I have come back stronger, and I have come back hungrier.
Having to play Test matches for a month and then switch to T20s in five days is not easy, but that's the kind of challenge I love to face.
I got some time off from international cricket so I could come back to India and reflect on what was not going right for me.
Batting with Dhoni is always a dream for me.
Where I play is not for me to decide.
I know opportunities will come my way.
For an opening batsman, it's important to hit a few balls in the middle of the bat and get a few boundaries going.
For anybody, faith and belief are everything you have. Nobody gave me the India cap; nobody taught me to go and get runs. It's a belief I had in myself.
The more cricket you play in your head, the less you perform on the field. So let cricket, the sport, be on the field.
For me, aggression means not to be shy and to do what your mind tells you.
I have had to work really hard at white-ball cricket. It doesn't come naturally to me, I was a slow batsman; I worked hard on my game and fitness.
When kids are 15 or 16, they should be playing more sports. I played football, basketball, cricket... Name any sport, and I played it.
I was a shy kid but also very mischievous. Because I looked super innocent, no one could really call me out on my pranks.
If I am playing a game, I want to give my best, and that's the only thing that helps me sleep peacefully at night.
I always knew I had the game to do well in every format. It was just a matter of time.
I never played for numbers.
I've been consistent in all the three formats, and that's what I want to do as a cricketer.
We, as sportsmen, we're not used to just sitting at home and being at home all day. We want to go out. We want to play sport. We want to be in the gym, want to train; we want to hit balls, and when you're not physically able to do that, it's really tough. It starts playing on the mind a lot more.
Virat has helped me with my preparation, mindset, and he has given me a lot of confidence.
The dream of every kid is to play for the country, and I am no different.
You need to be ready to bat, whatever you are given; you have to take what is thrown at you.
I have to be patient, keep performing, and be consistent.
I am only trying to improve as a player with each tournament, each game, each opportunity.
