Virat Kohli

Never at any point did I feel like missing a training session. I was very keen on improving as a cricketer and as an international player.

I love trying out different cuisines. In Delhi, I love Megu at the Leela, and TK's at the Hyatt. I also enjoy Khan Chacha's rolls. In Mumbai, it's Royal China and Shiro. And in Bangalore, I like the food at Bricklane.

I really want a movie made on Sachin Tendulkar's life. That is something I'm looking forward to. There will be so much emotion to that movie.

I've had a fan who made a painting of my face with her fingers. I have put it up in my room. It was sweet and very different.

My focus had always been the on-side. My coach wanted me to work on the offside strokes since he was convinced of my ability and timing on the leg side. I worked hard and firmed up my defensive technique. I am happy getting runs all around the wicket now, and getting a lot of boundaries. No one calls me a 'leggie batsman' anymore.

I wasn't sure of the exact mindset you should have when you go into a Test match. So I probably became too defensive when I played my first Test match. Short balls in one-day cricket, I have never thought of just defending.

I love wearing whatever is comfortable, and that could be something which was in trend years ago. So, I don't follow fashion.

I've been lucky - all the ads I've got, I've got to be myself. I haven't had to act too much or tried too hard to be someone I'm not. I think that's why people sort of like them. Even the Fastrack ads I did with Genelia.

My main focus is always to do well on the field for the Indian cricket team. When people say good things about me off the field, I am more than happy to accept them.

My superhero has always been Tendulkar, and it will be Tendulkar for life. He is someone who has inspired me immensely. Just watching him play for India, I used to dream of winning games for India, because he used to do it single handedly.

Good Punjabi music before a match pumps me up. It gives me a kick.

There are two bowlers who I think are very tough to play against - Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

You have to stay fresh and blank in your mind when you go out to bat. You complicate things, and you're gone.

I feel really blessed when people start comparing me with Sachin, but I keep myself focused on my performance and not on such comparisons. I literally worship him, so I don't see too much in this comparison. No cricketer has been able to score one hundred centuries like Sachin.

My shopping habits... I am not very brand-conscious about clothes. I buy whatever looks good on me. Likewise, I don't just shop only in malls or high-end stores.

Whatever I am, it's natural... I don't have to pretend to be aggressive, don't have to show the opposition that I am on the field. Being aggressive comes naturally to me, helps me perform.

As a kid, even I knew everything about my favourite cricketers. I used to know everything possible. Now I see kids knowing about me. It feels good.

I want to elongate my cricketing career as a consistent player. I have personal goals I would like to achieve someday.

My priority is cricket. Everything that I get apart from it is a result of the effort on the field. Everything else follows. I am pretty aware of my priorities, and I don't really focus on things that are not as important to me as cricket.

I always had a sense of discipline in me. However, there was a time when I couldn't divide my time properly between off-field things and on-field assignments. The focus would be missing at times, and that would affect my preparation for matches. I managed to change that.

I have made a few mistakes early on that I admit myself, and there have been times when I have gone over the top and done things that you shouldn't do in international cricket, but that's how you learn.

The joy of doing well as a batsman for your country is much more than that little joy of going for a party and enjoying music. It is a completely different high, and I get high by performances. That's what I enjoy now.

As a kid, I used to see how Sachin Tendulkar used to win matches under pressure for India in Sharjah or other places. So I was always keen to repeat the same in similar situations. I don't take pressure on myself when I am in the middle. I love pressure, and I always believe that pressure makes you more focused.

A lot of people tell me a lot of things about my conduct, my game, my future... but I try to stay away from their words of wisdom. I don't let it distract me. On the field, you will be facing the ball alone. If you fail, you will the only one to blame. So, you should be the one deciding for yourself.

During my school days, I was doing a play, and my costume fell on the stage. I really wish it didn't happen.

It undoubtedly feels nice when you are being appreciated and you get complimented by girls. Who doesn't like that? Having said that, I don't take it as any pressure.

Endorsements are a reward for good performance on the field, and the commitments made after signing them need to be done.

'Border' was the first movie that I watched on the big screen. It always takes me back to my childhood.

I feel only my friends and family need to know what is happening in my personal life.

I don't really focus on these things - on what tags are given to me or what people think of me off the field - stuff like that. My main focus is always to do well on the field for the Indian cricket team. When people say good things about me off the field, I am more than happy to accept them.

I wasn't very good in academics, but I could have been if I could have studied well. I was a smart kid.

I want to be relaxed in my personal life. I really don't like to be hassled.

I don't think there is anything wrong in earning money from the sport you love. If you work hard and get benefits from it, there is no harm. The day you feel that you are not working hard and are only looking at the benefits, that's where the problem is.

People from North India are generally known to be aggressive and emotional.

You just feel a little odd when you don't get your kind of food. Fortunately, there are Indian restaurants all over the world.

I don't believe in signing anything and everything that comes my way. I leave it to my agency to help narrow them down for me, but I do research it myself before signing. The image of the brand and its ambassadors go hand in hand.

I want my wardrobe to be full of good clothes, so that when I'm deciding what to wear, I don't run out of options. I love shopping!

I've never fought with anyone. A lot of people talk to me, and they're like, 'Oh, you would have been fighting all the time when you were younger,' but I'm like, 'I never fought with anyone because I always knew that if I hurt myself, I might lose important time in my cricket career,' so I never got into any fight, ever in my life.

Music, for me, is vital. Punjabi, Bollywood, Sufi, RnB... I listen to it all. When I'm not listening to music, you will find me chatting with friends. Off the field, I just let my instincts take over. I certainly don't think about batting, or which bowlers I'm going to face.

I'm not a nerd, obviously. Do I look like one? I'm not someone who sits at home and doesn't like to go out, doesn't like to watch movies. I like to live my life.

The first thing I look forward to when I am in Delhi is to spend some time with my family. It's always lovely coming back here and playing in front of my own people. It's just a special place.

I like to always lead from the front and set an example for whoever is playing with me or around me. I like taking responsibilities. That is my natural thing.

No cricket team in the world depends on one or two players. The team always plays to win.

I like to be myself, and I don't pretend. For instance, I don't dress up for occasions; I am what I am.

I always dreamt of holding the bat and winning games for India. That was my inspiration to take up cricket.

The bat is not a toy, it's a weapon. It gives me everything in life, which helps me to do everything on the field.

I'm a big fan of Aamir Khan... Among actresses, I like Aishwarya Rai.

I am very happy playing and showing off my talent on the cricket field and have no plans to enter Bollywood.

I love tattoos. And mine symbolise who I really am. I have a Samurai on my left arm. At a subconscious level, I connect to this warrior and model myself on his discipline, skills and honour. There is also a tribal tattoo and a Chinese symbol of faith. I have seen a lot of people getting tattoos just because it's a trend.

I believe that fairness creams protect the skin against the harsh effects of the sun.