The new Lara

Brian Lara talks to Wisden Asia Cricket about how he learned to slow down, prioritise and discover his best self. Excerpts from the interview.

On coping with fame:
"I was not privy to the fact that I was going to be a world-record holder. I didn't know people are going to want a piece of you for every minute of the day and everybody is going to look at every single thing you do. "(I became) a recluse, someone who was scared to talk to people because (he) didn't know what they were going to put on paper. "You look at someone like Tiger Woods and you know he was prepared for what he was going to go through. He had a psychologist even before he turned professional. It took me some time. I made some terrible mistakes - but they're mistakes that I learnt from. This was my first chance, this is how I did it."

On family:
"(My daughter) Sydney's had a tremendous effect on me knowing that, you know - there I am out in the world, breathing the support of everyone, and getting it. Having being the recipient of family support in the past, I'm really looking forward to give that to someone." "After cricket I'd love to build a family, I'd love to get close to someone and have kids, see them evolve into something special.

".It comes back to the fact that the most important thing is your family. Those are the ones you depend on, especially in your dark days. I got a lot calmer with myself, I sort of realized that you can't be as hard on yourself as I was."

On West Indies cricket and his role in the team:
"Looking at the Test rankings and seeing New Zealand and stuff ahead of us. I don't think we should be in that position really. I'd like to be a part of a team that is going to leave the shores of the West Indies, go abroad, and beat top teams. Beat Australia. Beat South Africa. "I want to be a consistent individual. I want to be someone my team can depend on all the time. "I have no bones in saying that we've got the most talented cricketers in the world. I mean I don't see too many 21-year-olds batting like Sarwan and Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels and these guys. maybe we need to put a mechanism into place whereby we ensure that these youngsters get the right training - if it be the mental side or the physical - whatever it takes. "I'm in my thirties, and I see myself showing by example, leading by example. Carl is the captain but he's got little leaders. You got Jacobs, myself, Chanderpaul, all these guys who have got to show the right approach."

On his game:
"One of my major problems is that my back-lift is so high that sometimes the bat comes from outside the line of the ball; I tend to chop across the line.Now I'm trying to cut down on those risks. I'm trying to build a very sound defence and a sound technique. "I got out caught behind twice [in the first four Tests] because of the lack of strength in my hands because of the injury. I tried to use the pace of the ball behind the wicket instead of playing up in front. As soon as I get back to full strength, I'll definitely be aiming to play with the full face of the bat. "You know that if you spend 40-50 minutes and you're still on five or 10, that you're going to build it into a major innings. Before, you think that you need to set the tone for the innings immediately, and in doing so, you risk your shots. I'm thinking less that way now."

On Sachin Tendulkar
"We have a lot of respect for each other. We're not bosom buddies - you know, but every time we meet up, we have good chat. I have a lot of respect for Sachin. He seems to be an individual who is so dedicated and well organised. His cricket, his life, everything, seems to be on one level. "I like the fact that whenever we meet, we can go and have a chat and talk about different things, talk about life, talk about cricket. He is a successful sportsman and I'm almost sure that he will let something slip about what makes him great."

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com in India. Exclusive from Wisden.com/Indian View Watch Current action from West Indies NOW!