I think I have always been a very patriotic guy. For me, playing for India is the most important thing, it is the biggest honour because you are representing 1,000 million... You are carrying the weight of expectations of the entire country on your shoulders, and that means a lot to me.

•But when you are into your nineties, you are conscious, aren’t you?

I think I have missed three Test hundreds. I have got out on 97, 98 and 96. Yes, sometimes you think about milestones but it has never happened with me, because for me, the most important thing is the team, and I really want to earn respect of my colleagues. I don’t want people telling me that I play for myself.

•It’s easy to get you pepped up. It’s easy to get you angry as well.

I feel I am still the same. What I am off the field, I am on the field as well. It’s just that my passion, my passion to play for my country and my will to win games for my country, which make me sometimes lose temper. What sometimes I have done in the past, it should not have happened. I should have been more responsible, because when you are in a good form, you can’t afford to let your team and colleagues down. When you are in good nick, your team expects you to play each and every game, and try and win series.

... contd.