• Earlier, they used to say India are good losers, they play well and then lose and after that they will shake hands and pat the victorious team. That has changed.

Now we want to win and then shake hands after winning.

• This change has come because cricketers like you who have come from places like Najafgarh, which is very competitive and tough, who were made to compete at every level, people who never got anything easily, neither will they get it in future.

Everyone wants to play cricket but few succeed. Today we have a better success rate because youngsters are performing better. They have taken off the pressure from seniors, everyone is finishing off matches which is very important. But those who come from the grassroot level, they would not have seen such adulation, such money, they would have never seen such publicity so they don’t want to go back to that level and they want to continue at the highest level. That can be one reason behind the competitiveness.

• Viru, is it difficult to manage such fame so much money all of a sudden?

I don’t think there is a problem in handling that. It can be a problem for many.

• It can get to anyone.

I have not seen that. Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan, myself, Zaheer Khan or Ashish Nehra, we never had any problem in dealing with these things.

• They are level-headed.

... contd.