I didn't wear a helmet because I wanted to show that the bowler wasn't intimidating me, and also that's just the way I liked to bat.
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.
This is Test cricket. Being positive is not far away from being reckless. For all that the sport has become more fast-flowing and entertaining, you still need batsmen whose first instinct is to be patient.
There are times when I have felt the pressure, but at the moment I play cricket the only way I can.
I don't know how I have got this habit, but I try to play one match and give it my best - it doesn't matter which level of cricket I am playing in. It gives me satisfaction that I am not thinking about others, not competing with others.
The difference between first-class cricket and international cricket isn't skill, it's attitude and the way you go about things.
The more cricket you play in your head, the less you perform on the field. So let cricket, the sport, be on the field.
As a batter, I would want to see that the best bowler is in my side so I don't have to face him.
It is certainly not how I've been brought up and it's not in my blood to play cricket in that safety-first way.
Every game I play, I try to make sure I get something out of that match. So as a cricketer, I feel you have to move forward and keep believing in your ability.
You can't be chasing 338 and still have 5 wickets in the end. It's about mindset and the way you look at the game.
My batting mentality is to see the ball and hit it. I don't know what bowlers see while batting.
