Quotes from K. L. Rahul

I totally enjoyed playing in Australia. I think they play very tough cricket, and the brand of cricket they play is very strong.

I spent a lot of time with Rahul Dravid, working on my game and chatting about cricket. He helped me a lot in the games I played for India 'A.'

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

When kids are 15 or 16, they should be playing more sports. I played football, basketball, cricket... Name any sport, and I played it.

The more cricket you play in your head, the less you perform on the field. So let cricket, the sport, be on the field.

It is a very happy feeling that a legend like Rahul Dravid talks highly about me. But I can't just sit back and be happy about it. I have to back it up with my performances.

As players, we look to prepare, and if opportunity comes by, we want to do well, both for ourselves and for team.

Virat has helped me with my preparation, mindset, and he has given me a lot of confidence.

I had to prepare hard for number four because that's not where I batted all my life.

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.

It's a team game, and you need to be flexible.

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

Everybody has different ways of playing the game.

Those first few overs are obviously the most difficult time because you don't know what the ball is going to do in the air and off the seam.

Fortunately, I got to play some India 'A' games, and some games where the pressure was a little less, so that I can focus on my skill and my technique.

If you are hitting the ball well, your form, your technique looks good, and when you are not, everything about your game looks bad. That is how it goes.

I can get runs much faster if I stay there in the middle to give bowlers more time and cushion.

Fitness is also about being well-rested, eating well, etc.

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

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.

I always knew I had the game to do well in every format. It was just a matter of time.

T20 may be fast, but still, you never plan for a T20 - the same way you don't plan for the other formats.

Working my way through different formats has not changed my batting approach much.

I've been consistent in all the three formats, and that's what I want to do as a cricketer.