Cricket is a pressure game, and when it comes to an India-Pakistan match the pressure is doubled.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Everyone loves a win in India. No one wants to lose a match. It is the cricketer who absorbs all the pressure.
One-day cricket is a very important part of our play. We've got a long way to go until the next World Cup and for us it's one ruthless game after another where we can play well.
Still, I believe it is only a passing phase and cricket will one day produce an abundance of great players.
Cricket is not a rational sport in India, and we go overboard.
The West Indians and Pakistanis play one-day cricket so well because they play for English counties.
People need to take as much interest in other sports as they take in cricket, and that's where we come across a vicious cycle of performance, sponsorship, recognition, jobs and TV visibility. It's a typical chicken-and-egg story; each one is directly related to the other without an answer for what comes first.
To me, cricket is a simple game. Keep it simple and just go out and play.
Cricket is a self-sustaining industry; but corporates need to realise that other sports don't have that luxury. This is the time when they need to invest, and keep the faith. Every sport has the potential to create world champions. Imagine India as a country full of world champions. Why imagine? Let's just make it happen.
I understand cricket - what's going on, the scoring - but I can't understand why.
As a kid, I used to see how Sachin Tendulkar used to win matches under pressure for India in Sharjah or other places. So I was always keen to repeat the same in similar situations. I don't take pressure on myself when I am in the middle. I love pressure, and I always believe that pressure makes you more focused.