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.

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.

For a batsman, scoring runs abroad is always a challenge.

As a player, I like playing as much cricket as possible, irrelevant of the format.

At the international level, one has to keep working hard and develop new skills. International cricket is all about improving yourself.

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 would never date or marry an actress. I will marry the girl of my mom's choice.