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.

I was fortunate enough to interact with him when I played for RCB in IPL. I learnt from AB as to how he prepares for a game. I get amazed by the kind of strokes he hits and the time he has got to play those shots.

Wherever we play, the batsmen have bigger responsibility in ODI and T20 formats to set up big targets and give that cushion to bowlers.

Where I play is not for me to decide.

I am a sporty person who loves to go to the gym, train, play football.

When I came into Test cricket, I was good but not as good as I am now.

Everybody has different ways of playing the game.

My only sentiment is to win.

When you get a chance to play, if you help them win a game, then the team will start believing that the player can also do this for the team. So building that confidence for yourself and the team is very important.

I have always felt that there is no substitute of experience.

After junior cricket, if the team wanted me to keep in a one-off/odd match or if anyone got injured, I was up for it. I kept in One-dayers and T20s.

Batting with Dhoni is always a dream for me.

You need to be ready to bat, whatever you are given; you have to take what is thrown at you.

Both my parents are teachers, and while they were always cool with what I did, they never let me take my education lightly.

Quite honestly, cricket is same at all levels. It's a game of bat and ball.

When you sit out, then you realize that, when you get the opportunity, how important it is to use that opportunity, not only as a player individually but also for the team.

I don't know whether I am mentally tough or not, but one thing I know is that I like the game and spend as much time as possible on it.

I have delivered sometimes, and the other times, I have not. I have taken it in my stride as a player and learnt from my mistakes.

Everybody enjoys each other's success. We are always pushing each other to get better on the field and off the field, helping each other out in the nets or in the gym. That's the most important thing.

As a cricketer - or any sportsperson, for that matter - you like yourself to be tested and get better all the time.

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.

I have always liked to attack the bowlers, and batting is all about getting runs.

I am not someone who likes to be in the dressing room and waste time; I like to be on the field all the time and be counted. That is how I am.

I just enjoy batting, scoring runs, and contributing for my team.