“The first thing I look forward to when I am in Delhi is to spend some time with my family. It’s always lovely coming back here and playing in front of my own people. It’s just a special place.”

I don’t think there is anything wrong in earning money from the sport you love. If you work hard and get benefits from it, there is no harm. The day you feel that you are not working hard and are only looking at the benefits, that’s where the problem is.

Work never stops.

I feel only my friends and family need to know what is happening in my personal life.

Border’ was the first movie that I watched on the big screen. It always takes me back to my childhood.

As a sportsperson, the best thing is people recognising you and loving you for what you do. For me, glamour is 100 people in the hotel feeling happy to see you.

I’m not a nerd, don’t plan to be a nerd and read books – which I can’t do at all.

My priority is cricket. Everything that I get apart from it is a result of the effort on the field. Everything else follows. I am pretty aware of my priorities, and I don’t really focus on things that are not as important to me as cricket.

Unity is the vehicle, desire is the fuel.

Loyalty above everything.

The people you choose to have around you make all the difference. My family and close friends keep me grounded. You have to have a mind of your own and a strong head on your shoulders. Cricket is the most important thing to me, so the rest of it pales in comparison.

On the field, aggression can sometimes be a positive emotion. It boosts performance and can lift your game. But over the years, I have learnt that restrained aggression is a better animal. That way, you will conserve your energy and won’t spend yourself quickly.

Endorsements are a reward for good performance on the field, and the commitments made after signing them need to be done.

In T20, you don’t have time to get distracted – it’s so quick, you have to run around in the field, and while batting, you don’t actually think about anything else.

I really want a movie made on Sachin Tendulkar’s life. That is something I’m looking forward to. There will be so much emotion to that movie.

If you’re true to yourself, you won’t fear anything.

I like to always lead from the front and set an example for whoever is playing with me or around me. I like taking responsibilities. That is my natural thing.

Absolute trust is something hard to achieve even in a family, and it is much harder to achieve on an international level.

I would give everything if I could only keep my family.

I knew of a man who was sent to the State Prison for twenty-five years. All these years he was always thinking of his home, and counting by years, months, and days, the time till he should be free, and see his family and friends once more.

We can always be a source of light to those around us.

Everything family does is reflection on the other people.

Congress needs to make sure families get the help they need.

We had problems like all families but we had a lot of love. I was extremely loved. We always felt we had each other.

Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important.