“If you know your ability and have even a little bit of a strong mindset, you can get success, because your ability takes you to success. Then things like technique, hard work and practice come automatically, because when you get success you want more”

“I have never changed my thinking, I have never changed my batting style”

“In Adelaide I told Tendulkar that I was absolutely tired. The reason was I was concentrating from both ends: not only when I was taking strike, but I was also thinking how I would face the ball when I was the non-striker. That was the first time something like that happened. Even during my two triple-centuries I was physically tired but not mentally”

“If somebody is constantly bowling outswingers or outside off, even if he is bowling on length, for me it is boring cricket”

“Tendulkar told me he would hit me on the bum if I hit sixes. At 295 [in Multan, 2004] I told him I was hitting Saqlain for a six and that he could hit me on the bum if he wanted”

“I have asked Tendulkar many times what the zone is. He tells me that’s when ‘I see nothing except the ball’. I have asked Rahul Dravid the same thing. He says sometimes when he is in really good form, he sees the ball and not even the sightscreen, the non-striker, the umpire or who is bowling. I ask how that is possible. I have never entered that zone”

“If Kirsten thinks something is wrong in your batting he comes and tells you that he has noticed over a couple of months you’ve changed something in your batting”

“In my view if you have good or bad technique it doesn’t matter. But you will survive if you can adjust your game at international level, you are mentally strong, you know your strengths and how to score runs”