Obviously after such a long gap, one itches to get back to the game and score big runs.

But eventually it is a game of cricket.

At least with me, the match starts much, much earlier than the actual match.

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

I want to give my six hours of serious cricket on the ground and then take whatever the result.

I always had a dream to play for India but I never let it put pressure on me.

Before coming here I had a minor back problem and I thought whenever I play Pakistan I get a back problem.

The Australian tour was good for us; it was ideal preparation for us.

Obviously after such a long gap, one itches to get back to the game and score big runs.

Lara's done very well recently and I never had any doubts about the abilities of Lara or Waugh.

Beating Pakistan is always special because they are a tough team and we have a bit if a history regarding Pakistan.

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

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.

It has been very good here, but the World Cup game was different. It had a different significance to it.

If one man is representing India in cricket, then yes, blame that person when things go wrong.

It doesn't always happen according to the way you have planned things out but I feel if you have covered most of the aspects, it does help out there in the middle.

I never played with a runner in my entire life, even in schools, because only I know where the ball is going and how hard, when I hit the ball, something my runner will never know about.

I have never tried to compare myself to anyone else.

Isn't cricket supposed to be a team sport? I feel people should decide first whether cricket is a team game or an individual sport.

Every individual has his own style, his own way of presenting himself on and off the field.

From the spinners, Anil and I have been together for a long time and I respect him a lot.

When there is time to think about cricket, I think but when there is time to be with family, I try to do justice to that aspect of my life as well.

I believe every era has its significance and the same holds true for players and coaches.

There are a few players who don't like to think about the game.

My point of view is that when I am playing cricket I cannot think that this game is less or more important.

And that is the reason why this victory is great, because different players have made contributions to the win.

I just want to continue the way I am going.

I have never thought where I will go, or forced any targets on myself.

Wasim and Waqar were amazing bowlers. I would put them right up there with the best in the world.

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

When I was 15, I started playing first class cricket and always dreamt of being a Test cricketer, wanted to do something for the country, married in 1995, have 2 kids it's been great.

I am not thinking too far ahead, just want to take it one thing at a time.

New Zealand's Daniel Vettori is a very good bowler.

I have never believed in comparisons, whether they are about different eras, players or coaches.

Shoaib Akhtar has been playing for 5, 6 years and is an experienced bowler.

Before you lay a foundation on the cricket field, there should be a solid foundation in your heart and you start building on that. After that as you start playing more and more matches, you learn how to score runs and how to take wickets.

I am a sportsman and not a politician. I am a sportsman and will always remain one. I am not going to enter politics giving up cricket, which is my life. I will continue to play cricket.

I get 0.5 seconds to react to a ball, sometimes even less than that. I can't be thinking of what XYZ has said about me. I need to surrender myself to my natural instincts. My subconscious mind knows exactly what to do. It is trained to react. At home, my family doesn't discuss media coverage.

I'm really focusing now on how I can get to the next level as a batsman. How can I get even more competitive? How can I get even more consistent? How can I get better?

If efforts to do social work are couched in selfish motives, then they will die a premature death. Why would my efforts get politicised? I have values I inherited from my father. He helped many. Anyone, even a postman knocking on our door would get a glass of water and some sweets.

Schools across India do not have teachers, libraries, playing grounds and even toilets. I do not want to see empty classrooms, empty libraries. I do not want to see cattle grazing on fields meant to be cricket or football grounds.

There are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively impacts not just their lives but also their families' and the country's economic development. A girl's lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well-being of her children.

People throw stones at you and you convert them into milestones.

There have been ups and downs, but it has taught us a lot in life. Going with the team through those ups and downs is a terrific journey.

When you're in the entertainment industry, you have to be more mature, be able to hang with the adults.

A lot of you cared, just not enough.

Once you get into your stride, the camera becomes like another person in the room. It's like being in a very small theatre where there is no getting away with anything because the audience is centimetres away from you.

Certainly another Brad Sherman might be annoying, but it isn't something society doesn't know how to deal with. But a new level of human being is something else.

The whole celebrity thing is not something I'm overly interested in. I don't pop up at parties. It's just not my thing.