“I am touched by the admiration and ovation I receive from CSK fans, which will always remain close to my heart.”

I have three dogs at home. Even after losing a series or winning a series, they treat me the same way.

You don’t play for the crowd, you play for the country.

When you die, you die. You don’t think which is the better way to die.

The era of playing aggressive cricket and to have the mid-on up is gone. You now try to read the mindset of a batsman.

When people talk about South Africa, it’s all about lions and elephants. But when we talk about India, we talk about tigers.

You only evolve with time, and that’s what I am trying to do.

I focus on cricket because it’s something I am good at. After retiring, I want to serve the Indian Army. It has always been about serving the nation.

For me, fielding and running between the wickets are two things that are very important.

Gut feeling is all about the experiences that you have had in your life.

I don’t like discussing cricket off the field.

I am always the one who is responsible for anything bad that happens in Indian cricket. Everything that happens is because of me.

Process is more important than results.

I believe in giving more than 100% on the field, and I don’t really worry about the result if there’s great commitment on the field. That’s a victory for me.

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.

It is in my nature to be confident, to be aggressive.

If I keep going to the farm, there won’t be any strawberry left for the market

Loving a sport with passion is important! Being open to new experiences is equally important.

I hate losing and cricket being my first love, once I enter the ground it’s a different zone altogether and that hunger for winning is always there.

The key to handling pressure situations like these is to keep yourself steady, follow your instincts and think clearly.

There might be many strong walls around us but the greatest yet is the one and only, Rahul Dravid.

It’s always good to mix work with play.

I have played for 15 years and it has been a dream.

I just keep it simple. Watch the ball and play it on merit.

I feel when somebody has been playing cricket for a long time, he creates a separate identity for himself.