My days in hostel were tough. I was ragged by my seniors. We were asked to wash their dirty clothes, do their odd jobs, etc. When it came to eating, we would be often given burnt rotis and milk that had awful odour. But, never once did I call home. I knew if I had to become a tough cricketer, I would have to handle the pressure.

The shot of Kapil Dev kissing the World Cup and hordes of Indian fans all over at Lord's is etched in my memory. Every Indian is proud of that victory, and every Indian player who has played the World Cup after that '83 win wants to bring the Cup home.

Normally players from the hostels don't give much importance to their fitness, but my case was different thanks to my coach. He helped me focus a lot on my batting and bowling which worked out really well for me in the future.

For me, fielding is everything - it is a passion that comes from within. You can get a bad ball while you bat, and your bowling may not always be up there, but you are completely in control of how well you field.

The future is uncertain, and therefore I can't predict it.

It is a great feeling of course to have scored so many runs, but that is what I play cricket for: to score lots of runs.

I think Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket.