Maintaining his standard and living up to his own expectations still give Sachin Tendulkar "sleepless nights" and it is this restlessness that has brought the best out of him.
"I don't think I woke up one morning and felt that there was this responsibility on me and that I needed to live up to that expectation. Something which still gives me sleepless nights is, 'How will I go out and keep that standard, and live up to my own expectations," Tendulkar said in an interview published in 'Time' magazine.
"How am I going to go out and perform? That restlessness brings the best out of me, it's a healthy sign," he said.
Tendulkar said he refrains from planning too far ahead on his future.
"My planning is only done match by match. I don't plan too far ahead, I've never done that. At most, I plan for the next tournament or series. I believe in approaching my targets step by step, and don't look at the larger picture.
The American publication interviewed the Indian batting star for a profile that will appear in its issue this week. Tendulkar was named in TIME's 2010 list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Tendulkar said at the start of his career, he used to "toss and turn" at night before a game.
"Now I know that's normal, so I'll just get up and watch TV or something. I know it's just my subconscious mind getting ready for a game. It's about knowing yourself, and I know myself better now."
Considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Tendulkar has smashed several records in his cricketing career and is the only cricketer to score 100 international centuries. He was nominated last month to the Indian Parliament's Upper house, the 'Rajya Sabha.