“I have to be prepared always and be at my best. I looked to bat 50 overs and score as many possible. It may not happen all the time, but whenever I see the opportunity, I try to make the most of it.”

Always hold on to what you love.

Our oceans hold some of the most incredible species on the planet. It’s a world we’ve only started to explore. It’s a world we must value and protect.

My love for cricket drives my attitude.

Months of uncertainty and hard work, and it all boils down to THIS very moment, the moment that makes us who we are.

Kit up, pick your bat and focus on the next mission.

I am happy with the way I hit the ball. There is a certain element of power into it but not completely. It is like 80 per cent timing and 20 per cent power. Why do I need power hitting when I can clear the ropes with timing?

It pumps me up – the whole idea of the bowler marking his run-up, popping at the crease, the crowd chanting, nerves building up. It’s a very good feeling. Right from the first ball, I know I have to be at the top of my game.

Between net practice sessions, there’s another game I play when chilling with the team – trying new cuisines.

Cricket has taught me how to overcome impossible challenges. The ground is where I find most joy and happiness.

To make this world a better place we need compassion but we also need accountability for our actions.

Comebacks are not at all easy. After a major surgery, the difficult part is to conquer the inner demons. It’s all in the mind. Only an individual can overcome his fears.

There will be times in South Africa when we will be challenged as a team. We have to stand up to that.

Every time you play for your country, there is responsibility. But when you are captaining, you can say so; you have to lead from the front and make sure the team follows the direction you want them to.

Keep your heart in the game, and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

Every first-class season is important; every game is crucial, irrespective of whether you are in the Indian team or not.

It’s a cliche, but you will always be your most fierce competitor.

The best Paris I know now is in my head.

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

Authors, she soon decided, were probably best met within the pages of their novels, and were as much creatures of the reader’s imagination as the characters in their books.

It can bend and twist and stretch, and probably the best way to think about space is to just kind of imagine a big piece of rubber that you can pull and twist and bend.

I played against the Brazilians in ’82, who were definitely the best team never to have won the World Cup.

The best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come with a rush from the heart.

The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you.

You can’t always have the best team. It’s always a compromise.