Please criticize me, but how can you accuse me of something like fixing a cricket game after all that the game has given me.
We have to understand that the five-day format has its own uncertainties, unlike ODIs or T20s. In ODIs, you know that you have to field for 50 overs only, while in Test cricket, there may be a situation that a team might bat for one-and-a-half to two days.
Cricket is not everything, not by any means, but it is a large part of who I am. Therefore, I want to play in all formats of the game and to play as much as possible because, before long, it will be over.
When you help sportspersons achieve their full potential, you propel the sporting quotient of the entire country.
Spirit of cricket is not about just the guidelines provided.
Gut feeling is all about the experiences that you have had in your life. It is about being in difficult scenarios, knowing what worked, what did not work, and then taking a decision.
Movies are a big part of our Indian culture.
Winning the World Cup was very special because it meant so much to so many. One thing about our country that is constant is cricket. The smile it brought to people's faces was the thing I shall always remember. It reminded me, reminded all of us, of our importance to the lives of the Indian people less lucky than we are.
You don't need to spoon-feed bowlers at the international level.
Sometimes in T20, you need to bowl only one over, and once the captain has given you that one over, irrespective of whether it is good or bad, that one over is out of the equation. That actually helps you, that one over. By the time the batsman figures out what you are trying to do, you get rid of one over.
Cricket is not everything, not by any means, but it is a large part of who I am.
During a packed season, maintaining fitness becomes tough because you can't put too much effort into it. You're constantly monitoring workloads.
Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family. In fact I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family.
I love being in the present. When I was playing for my school, the only thing I wanted to do was get selected for the under-16 or the under-19 district teams. When I was selected for the district, I would think about the next level, which was getting selected for the state side. I'm a person who lives very in the moment.
After one Olympics, if we invest in sports and say we will get a gold medal in the next Olympic, it doesn't work like that in sports. How it works is that you provide the infrastructure, provide education about nutrition and health.
I am touched by the admiration and ovation I receive from CSK fans, which will always remain close to my heart.
In front of 40,000 people, you don't really want to drop a catch or misfield. It's part and parcel of the game.
For me, it's important to build good partnerships rather than score centuries. Once, you have those partnerships, you will also get centuries.
What we have seen is that sports is definitely developing in India. I can see a lot of positive things happening in India. It may take a bit more time, but with proper guidance and people having passion for sports, I don't think we are far away from becoming a good sporting nation.
I never allow myself to be pressured.
