Many of us forget who we were before we became cricketers. I remember how hard I tried to get an autograph when I was young.
— Mohammad Azharuddin
I like being to the point. It is not my nature to talk too much or indulge in loose talk. I like being brief, and beyond a certain point, I have nothing to say.
You may be the best team in the world, but you can't win all the tournaments. That's what the media does not understand.
It's always good to be under pressure. That's when you perform the best. At least, I do. It's in my nature.
Emotionally, I depend only on myself. My strong belief in the Almighty carries me.
The biggest thing I possess is infinite patience. Once you are patient, things fall in place.
I was a good fielder in the gully in my college days. But in the outfield, I was not such a good fielder.
What has happened has happened. What is done cannot be undone. There is no point in looking back and ruminating over the past. I am a forward-looking man. I want to look ahead; I want to put my past behind me. I want to make my country proud.
It was only after I made my Duleep Trophy debut did I think I had a realistic chance to play for India. I scored a double hundred, and I realised that I had the potential to play for my country because I played the best bowlers in the country at that time.
The fact that I had attained stardom never affected me too much.
When you bat, you need to have a lot of patience. I started training for it from the age of eight or nine. So, I knew what I needed when I stepped on the field to bat.
It sounds sweet when, after a long time, people talk good about you, especially when you have done a lot for the country and played with distinction. It's good; it's a good feeling.
At times, you are mentally but not physically prepared; at times, you are physically but not mentally prepared. I would be lying if I said it doesn't affect your performance. But the sooner you get over it, the better. So you discipline yourself. That is why fitness counts.
I want to improve cricket at the district level because lot of hardworking players come from districts. We have produced so many great players, but now we don't have players in the Indian team. My intention is to work hard for the game of cricket.
Cricket was a splendid chapter of my life; indeed, it made me what I am today. However, cricket alone isn't the only flavour of life. Sometimes, indeed, we tend to take sports too seriously and life too casually.
I have always been communicative. I can't help it if I have been misunderstood. Sometimes, people don't like straight answers.
My point is simple: When you win a match or a tournament, forget why the captain took certain decisions. Celebrate the victory. Do not try to analyse every decision.
After the match-fixing allegations, the one thing I had was patience. It took a lot of time for the courts to come to a verdict regarding the case. Sometimes, there were adjournments, but during that time, I had patience. We fought very hard, and finally justice prevailed, and we got the right verdict.
My strength is my humility. When you are humble, people like you.
I think when you are playing at the international level, there is so much television exposure that people are looking at your weaknesses and strengths, and you need to fox them at times. You have got to do something different.
I used to take long walks in England. The second time I went there, it helped me to lose a lot of weight. When I wasn't playing, I used to spend the whole day walking. Going from shop to shop.
We in the Congress Party are hoping to do greater efforts to help the people of India, especially the downtrodden who find it very tough to get ahead in life. We are focusing on tackling issues related to unemployment and poverty.
My uncle used to play cricket. I got used to the game at home. As kids we used to all wonder seeing the bats lying around the house. As we grew older, we realised what the game was all about, and then our interest in the game grew.
People are going to write things about you, but you have to take the good with the bad, so you shouldn't take it very seriously. If you take it to heart, it'll get very difficult to deal with. So, just take it with a pinch of salt.
When you want to do something, you have to do it whole-heartedly.
A lot of things that should not be written were written without checking with me, things that were not in good taste. That hurt me. That is why I stopped talking to the press. Because they didn't want to ask me. They just wanted to write what they felt like.
I always thought that I played better when I was the captain. If you look at my record during the six years I was captain - except for a couple of series - I did very well.
When you are scoring runs, you automatically become a good leader because you are armed with so much confidence. If you struggle with your performance, then it becomes very difficult for a leader to perform his role.
Cricket has given me everything. If I'm anything today, it is because of the game... where I have given blood, sweat, and tears.
What is important is that I am respected both on and off the field by cricketers and fans.
When you are on the field, you know exactly what is happening out there. You are in charge. You have to make the right choices. No one can decide for you.
I think Bollywood and cricket go hand in hand. Glamour attracts glamour. Cricket has become a very glamorous game now.
Allah is with people who show patience. If you are down in the dumps, Allah will help you if you have belief. But this is a personal thing between you and him. You can't fool Allah.
You have got to field well. If you don't bat well, you can still make a difference by fielding well. There are times I have played games just because of my fielding.
I never played for records. If I had played for records, then I would have had many more runs against my name. If, by your performance, the team wins, then that is what is most gratifying.
I never say no to any event that is associated with education.
I had lost my grandfather just a month-and-a-half before I made my debut. I was suddenly scoring runs and getting into the fray. It was a very trying period for me. I was happy as well as sad.
When you are playing on the ground, you are a cricketer, but the moment you step off it, you are just another person. You need to talk to people nicely because you are who you are because of the people.
Mentally, I am very strong; physically I am very strong. I think that keeps me going. That keeps me strong all the time.
You need to protect the best players in the country. When there is so much cricket, we must work on ways to prolong their careers.
If you ask me the best bowler, then Wasim Akram was the best bowler because he had a lot of variety. Even when you were batting on 100 or 150, you're not very sure... He could still get you out. That was his forte.
