I don't like discussing cricket off the field.

The more allrounders you have, the more difficult it becomes for the opposition. The reason being, if you have players who can bat and bowl, and if they are proper allrounders - they may be spinning or fast-bowling allrounders - they add to the strength of the team.

I don't think I will ever make my all-time greatest India team. You cannot compare one era with another, as they will be different.

I don't believe in calling someone and having a big chat, because that puts a lot of added pressure on them. If somebody is doing something or involved in fielding practice, then a little chit-chat at that time helps because it's informal and doesn't add any pressure.

If the batsman is playing good shots, you accept it, but it is important that we bowl according to what the plan is and not go off it.

You need to perform consistently, and if you're raising the standard, you have to stand by it. You have to keep on doing well.

What is important is to have a positive intent right from the start, and positive intent doesn't always mean looking for the big shots. Positive intention when it comes to defending a ball or looking for a single.

I resigned from captaincy because I wanted the new captain to get enough time for preparing a team before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

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.

If you play cricket for India, money is bound to come, and with IPL in and match money of the Ranjhi trophy, I think money is there. There's no good reason why you should not work hard, because at the end of the day, you want to play for your country.

I'm quite used to playing with few injuries, whether it is back, fingers, elbow, or something else. You have to be tough and get on with the game.

The reason why people love T20 is the sixes and fours.

After the first ball is bowled, it's only chaos. What you are trying to do is you're trying to manage the chaos. It's not like a script that happens.

Spirit of cricket is not about just the guidelines provided.

You can't take any team lightly.

A lot of things have changed since I made my debut in 2004. The way cricket is played has changed. The kind of players that are coming in the Indian team are drastically different than what we were used to. My role is quite the same. You only evolve with time, and that's what I am trying to do.

Nobody wants to really play bad cricket.

If you keep winning, you don't know the areas you've to work hard.

Movies are a big part of our Indian culture.

Run Adam will play a significant role in aspiring sportspersons' life to achieve their dreams.

What's more important is, rather than looking at it from a commercial point of view, what we have to make sure is, where there's existence of the sport, it keeps on increasing there, and at the same time, you look at some of the other countries where there's the prospect of playing cricket.

I like to make statements on the field.

You need more individuals who can do more than one job in the field. Especially if all of them are good fielders and if they can contribute with bat and ball if needed. Just adds to the strength of the side.

The biggest problem is when a player asks a captain why he is not playing but does not want an honest answer.

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.

You have to see that cricket is developing as a sport because what's very important is you want cricket to be a global sport when it comes to participation.

You go through tough times. What I personally believe in is you should forget the stats. But also, it pushes you to see the areas where you have to work on to be a consistent team.

My dad and my brother were more keen on football, but I used to play canvas-ball cricket while at school in Ranchi, and we would have cricket coaching camps in the summer vacations. That's how I started.

Till the 10th standard, I was quite good - I got 66% that year. After my 10th, I got really involved with cricket, so I didn't have any time to study. And my parents didn't push me, either, which was very good for me.

One thing about our country that is constant is cricket.

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.

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.

Our biggest strength has always been the fans. All over, wherever we have gone, CSK has got support.

I feel some of the sides are blessed when it comes to having allrounders.

It doesn't matter which year a player is born in, whether you are 19 or 20 - you have to be agile. You have to accept your shortcomings.

Let me tell you, it is an absolute lie that I told a probe panel that Meiyappan was only a cricket enthusiast. All I said is he had nothing to do with the team's on-field cricketing decisions. I can't even pronounce the word 'enthusiast.'

I think it is always a challenge when you go and play abroad. You are competing against the home team, and they know the conditions well. Their fast bowlers always know which length to bowl and also the areas in which they need to bowl.

During a packed season, maintaining fitness becomes tough because you can't put too much effort into it. You're constantly monitoring workloads.

Whether a player has played one match or a hundred, we should give him respect for what he has achieved and leave it at that.

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.

Cricketers have a very short shelf life. On an average, you make money through cricket for five years, but you need to survive for sixty years.

For me, fielding and running between the wickets are two things that are very important. For that, you need to motivate the guys about how much of an effect it will have on the game.

I live for the moment - not the future, not the past.

Making important medicine more available and affordable is a great thing for the country, and Netmeds is one the mainstays in the space. They have a long legacy in the pharma business, and they are making it easier for people to stay healthy.

From when I was a young boy, I read books on weapons and tanks and combat. I was so interested in the army.

You have seen cricketers who are not god-gifted, but even then, they have gone far. That's because of the passion.

I like to stay away from the game when I am not playing it.

A sporting track doesn't always mean that it will only have grass on it.

What captains want is players who move well in the field.

Selecting a strong team without giving the new captain appropriate time isn't possible.