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I've always been one to want a fair contest between bat and ball even as a batter, so if that's taken away I don't think that's great.
With the spin bowling, it's about landing the ball in the right area enough, trying to build enough pressure, not let the batters get away.
In the shorter form of the game, I think I'm getting a lot smarter with the way I'm approaching my innings and also the way I read the game.
It did help having a lot of exposure to international cricket at such a young age. That showed me what I need to do to be successful at that level.
I watch the game pretty closely and think of a few things that I'd do perhaps differently to what's going on and throw up ideas here and there as well.
I would have enjoyed playing some county cricket and learning my art that way, but I never had any ambitions at all to play for England, that's for sure.
In Australia you can be a little bit more attacking, in places on the subcontinent you've got to find ways to get batsmen out, you might have to bore them out.
I think everyone is vulnerable to a moving ball. It's about just trying to find a way to have a solid defence and a game plan that can work in those conditions.
If it takes me 300 balls to get a 100, then it'll take me 300 balls. That'll also tire the bowlers quite a bit too, so it's a bit of a win-win if that's the case.
I wear football socks and I actually tape my shoelaces to my socks. I don't like anything to be putting me off. I don't have an excuse of the shoelaces coming off.
I think the Australian public would love to see the best Australian team on the park for every game. It's difficult to do that with the schedule and how much we play.
I don't like watching others batting and scoring runs I could be scoring. It is nice to see guys being successful but at the same time I want to be the one out there doing it.
I think the higher you can bat in your Shield team, if you're doing well there the better off you're going to be for batting anywhere in the Test line-up or any of the line-ups.
I remember Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell getting into me quite a bit. I don't think they really rated the way I played. But maybe I've changed their views now perhaps a little bit.
I guess the thing with South Africa and Australia, the conditions are probably the two most similar around the world. The pace in the wickets are generally pretty similar, and the pace and bounce.
For me, it's about making sure the mental side of my game is in a good place; if it is, then it's just about backing your ability when you are out in the middle and doing what you can for the team.
I got rid of one bat tap I used to have as I was about to face up, and getting rid of that's made me more stable and able to get in better positions and play, particularly fast bowling, a lot easier.
I've just aimed to go out with a clear mind; to try not to premeditate my shots and if I'm going to play a few big shots I try to have a few deliveries under my belt first; have my eye in a bit better.
It depends on who's bowling, how is the wicket playing, how I gonna score and stuff like that or how people are trying to get me out, probably that determines how open I am or otherwise how closed I am.
If you look at the best players around the world, they sum up what people are trying to do and adapt to it and are willing to change and have the confidence to change what they are doing to get the right outcome.
Particularly when I'm batting, I don't really hear anything that's going on. I block it all out. Maybe a little bit when I'm fielding but then again, it's just words. It doesn't affect me. If people want to say things then go for it.
For me, it's about having energy in the field and making sure I'm having fun and making sure everyone else around is having fun, whether it be telling a joke or something like that. It's to make sure we're all upbeat and we're ready to go.
I think and visualise before I play where people are likely to bowl to me and where I am likely to score and try to picture fields that are set and play things over in my mind, where I am going to get runs and how they are looking to get me out.
Obviously, I did not start my Test career too well. With the bat, I was probably not quite ready to play at that stage. I was happy to go back to first-class system and learn my game a bit more, honing my skills, particularly my defence and patience.
I think that's the way we play our best cricket, when we're aggressive, we're in the fight together, we're hunting as a pack as one and we're working for each other and backing our mates up on the field. That's part of being an Australian, in my opinion.
The on-field stuff, setting fields, changing bowlers, that's the easy part. It's making sure all your players are on the same page with what your plans are and what you want from your players and the team. That's the biggest challenge and what you really need to get right if you want your team to be successful.