I do believe in God. But you won't find me visiting temples every now and then. I believe in self-realization. Peace of mind matters a lot to me. What's the point in doing something just for the sake of it? I'd rather do something I like doing as long as I'm being true to myself.
— Virat Kohli
Irrespective of whether you have talent or not, one has to work hard. Just being talented doesn't mean anything; you can end up wasting it before you realize.
In T20, you don't have time to get distracted - it's so quick, you have to run around in the field, and while batting, you don't actually think about anything else.
Whatever you want to do, do with full passion and work really hard towards it. Don't look anywhere else. There will be a few distractions, but if you can be true to yourself, you will be successful for sure.
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.
The first thing I look forward to when I am in Delhi is to spend some time with my family. It's always lovely coming back here and playing in front of my own people. It's just a special place.
There are two bowlers who I think are very tough to play against - Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
I love driving my car on any highway.
I want to elongate my cricketing career as a consistent player. I have personal goals I would like to achieve someday.
I've had a fan who made a painting of my face with her fingers. I have put it up in my room. It was sweet and very different.
My focus had always been the on-side. My coach wanted me to work on the offside strokes since he was convinced of my ability and timing on the leg side. I worked hard and firmed up my defensive technique. I am happy getting runs all around the wicket now, and getting a lot of boundaries. No one calls me a 'leggie batsman' anymore.
Music, for me, is vital. Punjabi, Bollywood, Sufi, RnB... I listen to it all. When I'm not listening to music, you will find me chatting with friends. Off the field, I just let my instincts take over. I certainly don't think about batting, or which bowlers I'm going to face.
I'm not a nerd, obviously. Do I look like one? I'm not someone who sits at home and doesn't like to go out, doesn't like to watch movies. I like to live my life.
I love wearing whatever is comfortable, and that could be something which was in trend years ago. So, I don't follow fashion.
Becoming an inspiration for kids is great. I want to inspire them to do whatever they want to.
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 support Real Madrid. I'm a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The more centuries that I am able to score, the happier I will be.
I love trying out different cuisines. In Delhi, I love Megu at the Leela, and TK's at the Hyatt. I also enjoy Khan Chacha's rolls. In Mumbai, it's Royal China and Shiro. And in Bangalore, I like the food at Bricklane.
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.
Everyone loves a win in India. No one wants to lose a match. It is the cricketer who absorbs all the pressure.
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.'
Good Punjabi music before a match pumps me up. It gives me a kick.
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.
I am very happy playing and showing off my talent on the cricket field and have no plans to enter Bollywood.
As a kid, even I knew everything about my favourite cricketers. I used to know everything possible. Now I see kids knowing about me. It feels good.
My main focus is always to do well on the field for the Indian cricket team. When people say good things about me off the field, I am more than happy to accept them.
Unless someone wants to look funny, I'll not recommend anyone to copy my bowling action. But on a serious note, with the confidence that I have got from the amount of runs I have been scoring, when I'm thrown the ball to bowl, I am pretty sure of what I have to do. I may not be the most attractive to watch while bowling, but I can be effective.
I believe that fairness creams protect the skin against the harsh effects of the sun.
Delhi means everything to me. This city has given me everything, and I love it.
I really want a movie made on Sachin Tendulkar's life. That is something I'm looking forward to. There will be so much emotion to that movie.
I delayed my father's funeral because of cricket.
