Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
To me, pre-match preparation is extremely important because that's something which is within my control.
It has been very good here, but the World Cup game was different. It had a different significance to it.
I feel when somebody has been playing cricket for a long time, he creates a separate identity for himself.
Before coming here I had a minor back problem and I thought whenever I play Pakistan I get a back problem.
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.
Sometimes I need to look at the scoreboard to figure out whether I'm batting hundred-plus or whether I am on zero.
Beating Pakistan is always special because they are a tough team and we have a bit of a history regarding Pakistan.
It's about not accepting every challenge thrown at you. Sometimes you hold back and when it's needed you go for it.
I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians.
Beating Pakistan is always special because they are a tough team and we have a bit if a history regarding Pakistan.
Sourav's greatest strength is his mind. He is hardworking - not only in the nets but also mentally. He bounces back.
It’s hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it’s all I have ever done since I was 11 years old.
Success is a process... During that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you, and you convert them into milestones.
It's mental discipline that sets one apart, the ability to think differently and to generate energy in the right direction.
I used to crack A joke when Sourav Ganguly is upset and make him happy , i usually speak in bengali which would make him laugh
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.
The only thing that was on my mind was, 'I want to play for India one day,' and I was pretty sure and confident that one day I will.
I fail sometimes, I succeed sometimes, so that's fair enough. It's a package deal. It comes with that package: failures and success.
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 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 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.
I'm so disappointed at what's being written and said about Anil Kumble ... He's been around for over 18 years and his achievements do all the talking.
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 really like Iceland. One of the nicest things about it is that I hardly ever had to reach for my credit card. There's practically nothing there to go shopping for.
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?
When I walk into bat, I should know that 'Yes, I've prepared to the best of my ability. I couldn't have done anything better.' That is when I feel that I am ready to go out and play.
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 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 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.
Having, and seeing, your dreams is very important, and so is chasing those dreams. You see dreams when you sleep, and as you chase your dreams, it keeps you awake. So it's important to stay awake.
As a kid I loved John McEnroe. They called me Mac because, while everyone else liked Borg, I was crazy about McEnroe. I tried wearing headbands and sweatbands, and whooping at people. It didn't quite work.
I am excited about Indian Grand Prix F1 race. I will support the Force India team. I have friends like Michael Schumacher but I will support Force India because that is the Indian team and country comes first.
I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. Thanks to my team-mates. Without them, nothing would have happened. I couldn't control my tears of joy.
I grew up looking at my father as to how to behave. In watching him I grasped so many things. His own temperament was of a calm person. He was very composed and I never saw anger in him. To me, that was fascinating.
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.
It really doesn't matter honestly to look at the scoreboard where it's 20 runs and 2 wickets down or 200 runs, 2 wickets down, because... if you're positive inside it really doesn't matter. It just requires different planning sometimes.
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.
The International Cricket Calender shouldn't be so packed with action that it drives spectators away. Also there should be enough space between cricket events to help players recharge their batteries - not just physically but mentally too.
Obviously if you're positive, then there's positive energy flowing in your body. The moments are smoother - thought process is smoother. But if there is doubt, then also your body's not going to move that well, your thought process is not clear.
I don't open the newspapers (to see what's written about me). I don't read them and you can see them hanging at the stand outside my hotel room. I focus on my game only. Last 21 years have been really special for me and I throughly enjoyed my joyful journey
At the start of my career, when I used to toss and turn at night, I was fighting that feeling and wanting to go to sleep. Now I know that's normal, so I'll just get up and watch TV or something. I know it's just my subconscious mind getting ready for a game.
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.
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.
I believe in controlling the control elements. Something where we don't have control on certain things, those things you obviously cannot waste your energy in trying to figure out 'How can I control this?' You would much rather focus all your energy on the things that you can control.
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.
Any active sportsman has to be very focused; you've got to be in the right frame of mind. If your energy is diverted in various directions, you do not achieve the results. I need to know when to switch on and switch off: and the rest of the things happen around that. Cricket is in the foreground, the rest is in the background.
I feel it's the conscious mind that messes things up. The conscious mind is constantly telling you, this might happen or that might happen, even before it has happened. Your conscious mind tells you the next ball might be a out-swinger, but when it's coming at you you realize it's an in-swinger... so literally, you've played two balls.