I feel good to work with Kumble bhai. He is a well-read person and a dedicated coach. I also like his aggressive approach to the game.
— Shikhar Dhawan
At the end of the day, my job is to play cricket, and till the time I am playing against any opposition, I am happy.
I have matured as a batsman. I am very happy that I have become more consistent.
Some failures should not overshadow all the wins.
I feel, if keep hitting the same shot, I get better at it.
Once you are experienced, your mind is calm and at ease.
When the ball is swinging, you really need to play close to your body.
A lot of the guys worry about their form. For me, it is just about being persistent and patient.
There will always be rivalry on the field. Off the field, we are friends, but on it, we have to do our job.
Once I am in, I can demolish any side because that is my strength.
With time, you do get mature.
I make sure I cut down the negative thoughts and accept the reality there is. If it is going good, it is good.
When you are playing, you play as rivals. When off the field, we are friends. I feel that's a good thing. That's the beauty of IPL.
As a kid, we all have dreamt that we wanted to play with Sachinpaaji, and that dream has come true.
Yes, I have an Australian wife; she is half Bengali, half British.
Courage comes normally to me.
I started listening to Sufi music when I was 21.
When I was out of India's T20 team, I did feel sad but at the same time got tremendous motivation within myself to do well and come back in the team.
When you play on foreign pitches, you get used to their conditions.
The most important thing is to keep our basics strong in both batting and bowling.
I will make a lot of mistakes and have to learn from them. It is part and parcel of the captaincy.
I do tennis ball drills mostly for bouncers, for my muscle memory as well.
I know my technique suits all sorts of wickets, so I just back myself.
The support of the coaches Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly... Their experience as a captain, along with the belief they instill in us, is great.
You are bound to undergo hardships, and it has been no different for me.
Whenever I play, red ball or white ball, I utilise whatever knowledge I have of the game.
It's good sometimes when you fall; you learn lots of things out of it.
Whenever I have experienced failure in my career, those experiences have made me more mature as a player.
I do not read newspapers. I do not take any information which I don't want to take. I make sure I keep my composure.
I am always looking forward to learn new things in my life.
I still remember when I debuted for India in One-dayers and got out on zero against Australia only.
I believe in my abilities.
I am very fond of ghazals. I like ghazals from Jagjit Singh and Sir Ghulam Ali.
When I scored my first century, I naturally lifted my arms up, feeling very happy, looking at the Almighty above. That became my signature style. All these things are natural, not practised.
To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
I realised that I have the ability to play at the highest level and started to work harder.
It's always good to learn from every match.
When facing bowlers or throw downs, it is not possible to feed the ball in one place at all times; therefore, tennis ball practice comes in handy.
I like embracing other cultures.
Shot selection is very important because you don't want to lose wickets at the start and put pressure on the rest of the side.
You have to work on your fitness, maintain it. I try to do it whenever I have an off day.
Now I am seen as a successful cricketer, but the fact is that I have had more failure than success.
I've always loved coming back to Vizag.
In domestic cricket - whether it is Ranji Trophy or other first class matches - in the first year, not many opponents will know about your game, but by the time you are into the third or fourth year, the opponents would have found out your strengths and weaknesses, and they will work on it.
I am happy that whatever I dreamt of achieving, I have done that.
I know I perform best when I stay calm.
I enjoy the company of overseas people. It's always good learning.
I worked really hard and changed myself and became a more mature player.
With time, I am knowing my game better.
I only like songs with strong lyrics.
