Whenever I have played a game of cricket, whether it is under-16, under-19, or State level, my approach has been the same.
— Virender Sehwag
I would want to change my name to Sachin Tendulkar if I could do it. He has tons of records; I am not even close to him. He is called as the 'God,' and who would not want to be a God in this mortal world?
I used to prepare in advance on how the bowler is going to bowl, whether is he going to bowl an outswinger or an inswinger? I used to watch the videos of the bowler and used to prepare in advance.
Sometimes, you just need to get out of the game and should do things which you want to do in life and like.
When I was growing up, we would play a 10-over or 15-over game, and the asking-rate would always be high, and I would end up scoring 30 or 40 runs in 15 balls, so I built that mindset right from the beginning and still continue to bat in the same manner.
A youngster should know his game first. If he knows his game, he can modify it at the top level if required. But if he doesn't know his game, then it is difficult to get success at international level. You will get success occasionally but not regularly.
I was a middle-order batsman who was too good against spin and hit sixes consistently in Under-19 and Ranji cricket, and I still have the same confidence.
I don't care whether I am politically correct or not when I tweet.
My style is my strength. It is my natural game. That is how I grew up and scored most of my runs.
Someone enjoys your batting, and someone, your humour. Since I'm not batting any longer, I can at least say some words, so people enjoy and give me compliments, too.
April 2nd is a memorable moment of my cricketing career.
If I had planned to score double and triple hundreds, I would probably not have made them ever.
When I began my life journey, we'd survive on Rs 500 a month as a family. As time passed and I started playing for the country, this Rs 500 multiplied manifold, but it was not the money that mattered: it was the fact that I was fulfilling my ambition of playing cricket on the highest platform, representing my country.
Only great players can have two shots for one ball, like Tendulkar does, and a big reason is that he picks the ball very early.
I don't bother about image.
Every coach desires to bring in his own support staff.
There is no point playing in the IPL when I have retired from international cricket. I did not want a youngster to miss out because of me.
Anyone in the game can make any score.
There are very rare occasions when you get a good wicket to bat on, but whatever wicket you get, you have to play at least 20 overs for your side.
You don't think of these things when you play. When you retire, you look back and see that my Test average outside Asia is 40, and it is 49 overall. If I can change something, I'd like to change that average outside Asia. I tried as hard as I could outside Asia, but I couldn't do that.
During the peak of my career, I used to pick the ball as soon it was released from the bowler's hands. And I hit the ball through the line.
I love to score runs rather than defending or leaving the ball. That is an important aspect of my batting: I don't want to waste balls in any form of the game.
When I faced the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee for the first time, I had a little bit of fear in my mind. My thoughts were, 'Would I be able to face them? Would I be able to play them? Would I be able to hit boundaries?' There were so many questions and fear, also, that if the ball didn't hit my bat, it might hit me on the body.
When you start the game, coaches will tell you to do stuff in a particular way, and kids do that. But the moment you start first-class cricket, the coach needs to tell you, 'Try this, try that,' instead of, 'Do this, do that.' If you feel comfortable, you can take it; otherwise, leave it.
I curse myself if I get out without making a 100 after crossing 40.
When I play a cover-drive, I play it to score runs.
I don't know how to troll people, but there are many out there talking with that intent. I just write something funny that would make people laugh.
Whenever senior players are missing, its ideal for youngsters to avail of these opportunities.
I lose around a couple of crores every year on the school, but even if I was to make profit from it, I would never use it for myself. I'd plough every penny back into improving facilities for the school. Just as I do with the cricket academies I run around the country. These are not for making money; for that, I have other avenues.
I have never been able to play consistently with soft hands.
If you are disciplined, it shows you are organised.
I write what I like. I don't bother what people think about it.
I would love to be a coach, mentor, or a batting consultant. I would love to commentate in Hindi, as most people who watch the game are more comfortable with Hindi in India rather than English.
When I was growing up, I played a lot of ten- and 12-over games, and I would bat in the middle order. I got only ten-odd balls to face, and I tried to score as much as I could. I applied the same approach in domestic and international cricket, and people were appreciating my strike rate being more than 80 or 90 in Test cricket.
We never thought that there would be another Sachin Tendulkar. But Virat Kohli has changed this mindset. I think Virat can surpass Tendulkar's records.
I thought I could have breached Brian Lara's 400 runs. When I scored 319, I was unbeaten at 309 but then got out. So I think I could have reached that mark, but unfortunately, I missed it.
My shot selection has to be good to score big runs.
I batted with contact lenses in the IPL while playing for Delhi Daredevils. I wasn't picking the ball early. So I went back to the glasses.
There were a lot of players who gave me suggestions when I was young. At times, they were very good suggestions, and I took them seriously, applied them to my batting, and got success after that.
It doesn't matter whether you move your feet or not; if your head is still and body is in balance, you can score lots of runs. This I learned from Tendulkar.
If I feel strongly about something, I don't bother what will people say, especially when it is about the country and the Army. But my cricketer friends are all politically correct when they tweet.
I have matured in my shot selection but will not discard my style. I don't believe in wasting balls.
My best India v. Pakistan moment is from our first match in the ICC World T20 2007, which was a tie.
I believe in wishing my colleagues and other celebs in a manner that brings my wit out and gives people a talking point. But there are people who love and those who hate you. That's part of a celeb's life.
Once I took to Twitter and shared those jokes, they became a huge hit. My following grew, and some of the posts got thousands of retweets. With so many shares, money from sponsors followed.
I never thought of breaking a record. The only ambition I had was to become the fastest century maker for India, which I did when I broke Azharuddin's record.
I learned from Tendulkar how to get big hundreds.
During Rahul Dravid's captaincy, Dhoni got the role of a finisher. He got out a couple of times playing a bad shot, and he was also reprimanded by Dravid during one instance. But from that instance, he completely changed his approach and became a very good finisher.
Many stories come from the dressing room that one doesn't speak when you are playing but can do once retired.
If any IPL team wants me to be a mentor or a batting consultant, I would love to do that. I can share my knowledge with the youngsters.
