Virender Sehwag
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
My shot selection has to be good to score big runs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Anyone in the game can make any score.
Whenever I have played a game of cricket, whether it is under-16, under-19, or State level, my approach has been the same.
In international cricket, the atmosphere changes, and the interest level is higher, but for a cricketer, it is still a game he has to play.
After you score 300 runs in one innings, you begin to feel that every innings should be close to this one. Of course, I know that won't happen. But I will be disappointed if I get going well and am unable to convert it into a huge score.
As a cricketer, everybody has a dream to play for your country.
When I took up cricket seriously, I wanted to play for India. When my dream was achieved, I thought what next? Then a fellow cricketer told me, 'Playing for India is easy; playing for 10-15 years is difficult.' Then I changed my dream to play 100 Test matches. I achieved that as well. Now there is nothing to achieve, so I am just enjoying things.
Cricketers are worried about their milestones, worried that they should score 5000-10,000 Test runs, but I am not fussy.
Does it make a difference if I score 8000 or 10,000 runs in Test cricket? Not in anybody's life.
I am the superstitious kind: I never praise a shot because I fear the moment I do so, the batsman gets out.
I always tell myself to bat the full day, and if there is a ball to be hit, just hit it.
Sachin Tendulkar was one of the fittest players.
Every player has his own mantra of working on his physique.
I have a gym at home where I do weight training as well as cardio. I love doing bench press but cannot share information on how much weight I lift. I also practise Yoga. My guru Sadhguru taught me different kriyas like Surya Namaskar, which I do for my personal well being.
I have been successful as an opener, but who knows, maybe I would have been more successful in the middle order.
People say I take too many risks. But the fact is, there is risk involved in every shot. You can get out trying to defend a ball as well.
I think if you think so much, you simply cannot bat.
When I grew up, I tried to score off every ball, be it a 10-over-match, a 20-over, or even a Test match. If I stay in the wicket for, say, about 30 minutes, I want to make the most of it and score maximum runs possible. You never know when you get out; try to score as much possible before that.
I never thought of coaching the Indian cricket team. I was given the offer... BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhury and MV Sridhar came to me and requested me to think on the offer. I took my time and then applied for the position.
Like life, the beauty of sports is that no two periods are identical.
There are days when you make runs, and there will be a dry spell. Like in business, every year you don't make profits.
Experience always enables you to handle pressure better.
Australia always gives a tough fight, and that's why every player wants to perform against Australia. When you perform against Australia, England, and South Africa, you automatically earn more respect.
As an international player, the players have to adapt to the condition no matter what the situation is.
Players like Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Warner, Glenn Maxwell were noticed at IPL first. It is a platform for players all over the world.
If a player is playing IPL and earning money, it's not his fault that he's not playing for India. He is not quitting. He is playing first-class, one-day cricket and IPL. If selectors don't pick him, what can he do?
There has been the negative impact of spot-fixing and match-fixing, but it is the individual player's responsibility to look after that because if a player wants to do that, it is difficult to stop him. It is the individual player's responsibility to play fairly.
If I do commentary, write articles, or am an expert on a news channel, I can still earn money.
I would never want a guy who is not a natural keeper.
No Indian wants their sports persons to get left behind or any particular sports to get left behind.
It's the duty of the federations to make sure that the funds reach the athletes properly. They need to make sure that the athletes get proper facilities so that they can win the medals for the country.
To say that I wanted to become the captain is entirely incorrect. When Dhoni became captain and I played under him, we won the T20 World Cup.
No doubt, if you go through records, Dhoni is India's best captain to date. Beating Sourav Ganguly, he won the Tests, ODIs, and T20s, won both the World Cups. Nobody can deny that, but to give credit to a single person is not good; others should also get credit for winning the Cups.
To say that the captain makes the team lose or win is not correct.
I don't think it's correct to blame the captain. He at least tries to keep all together so that the team plays well, plays positive cricket, and wins the match for the country, and not think about only winning and earning a name for himself.
God has been kind, and I have done what I wanted to do - on the field and in my life.