Since coming into T20s, I have improved a lot in the death overs.
— Shikhar Dhawan
It's always good to end a home series on a high note.
You have to respect the bowler, and every batsmen have their way of tackling the spinners.
Before I made my Test debut, I had played nearly nine years of first-class cricket.
People tell me about my record in ICC events, but frankly speaking, the intent has always been the same.
People can be critical about your game, but no one knows better than the player as to what he needs.
IPL is a platform for players to get noticed and maybe make it to the Indian team, but the focus should be on performance rather than thinking about India selection.
It's a great feeling to be captaining the Sunrisers team. It's really an honour for me, and I am looking forward to do the job.
Apart from my parents and coach Tarak Sinha, my wife has been a big support, and so has been my two daughters.
An all-rounder in Tests and limited-overs' cricket is equally important.
Everyone has their own individuality and character.
You've got to believe in yourself that you will get the runs for your team.
We all should be happy. We have got one life.
I like to keep myself fit at the pace of the game. I just focus on my process, including my fitness, skills, and fielding.
I have tweaked little things in my game, nothing major. When you change little things, the impact is big.
It's when the runs are not coming that even the minutest of flaws are viewed under the microscope. You look into your game and try to pick every single thing you can improve about it. At the end of it, you emerge as a better player than you were.
With Anil bhai, it is not only Virat or any other big player, but every player is in his scheme of plans. Even the ones who will not be playing regularly in the side. I feel that is a very important thing.
Swing has always been my strength, and I am also working hard on it.
I love doing my fitness drills and work on my skill level.
If I get a good delivery, I just defend it, and If I get a loose ball, then I hit it and make runs.
If I don't score runs in 5-10 games, it doesn't mean that everything is lost. I know what kind of a player I am and what my capabilities are.
I believe it's a wrong conclusion to draw that Indians can't play spin bowling.
Technique is the main thing when it comes to success at the top level. The sound temperament comes into work only when you have a sound technique.
I want to keep scoring runs consistently.
I have been captain for my Delhi team.
If you score runs against an international attack, the self-belief automatically increases.
I try to back myself as much as possible.
I knew I have those skills and capabilities to perform at the international level.
The want to get more runs increases when there is a dearth of it. At those times, it is important to be patient and keep your calm.
I love having fun and make people laugh. And that's my quality, which has been blessed by God and I love doing it, bringing smiles on the face of people.
Malinga has been a legend for Sri Lankan cricket, and he has done great in international cricket in all formats.
As a batsman, I want to stay as long as possible at the crease.
It happens with every batsman; sometimes, despite feeling good in the nets, you don't score runs in the match.
The pressure of chasing 230 is naturally always less compared to chasing 300.
As you go along the way, you learn new things, but my basic game has remained the same. You learn about the mental aspect of the game as in how to disturb the flow of the bowlers. You get matured with experience.
One thing about me is that I don't like to be sad all the time.
I think it is a good thing for Indian cricket that there is so much competition for opening slot. Players put in more effort because you can be kicked out if you don't play well and make mistakes. I take it positively and try to ensure that I give my best.
I am not that sort of a guy who feels the pressure. I have the ability to remain unfazed.
If we focus on processes, the results will automatically take care of themselves.
I now have a better understanding of my game than what it was in 2013 in my first year in Test cricket.
I am cool and aggressive: aggressive from inside and cool from outside.
Once you score big runs at the start of your international career, you get really confident because that is one part which is really tough, as every player is nervous at the start of the career.
It is very important to take a break and feel fresh, which we Indian cricketers don't get much of, so we are not used to it.
I said jokingly that if you bat like a king, you should also get out like a king; you should not be dismissed like a soldier. If you have made runs aggressively, then you will get out that way, too. That's how it is.
When things don't go your way, it bites you from within, and you have to find a way to get out of it.
The hunger for runs is always there, irrespective of whether I was getting runs or not.
I guess people think that I am quite a serious guy with my looks, but I am not; I am totally the opposite.
When I was not doing well, I was just focussing on my processes. And when I am doing well, I am still focussing on my processes.
For me, failure is not a bad thing because it teaches you how to succeed.
Working with Ravi Shastri as Team Director was a good experience.
