I was given a talent to play cricket. I don't know why I was given it. But I was. I owe it to all those who wish it had been them to give of my best, every day.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'm proud of what I've achieved in cricket, as once I didn't think I was good enough.
Cricket has given me everything. If I'm anything today, it is because of the game... where I have given blood, sweat, and tears.
My job is to perform, enjoy cricket and thank God for whatever he has given me.
I wanted to be a cricketer. But I was not skilled enough to be a national-level cricketer.
My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.
Cricket was my reason for living.
I always dreamt of holding the bat and winning games for India. That was my inspiration to take up cricket.
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.
I would have loved to have been a cricketer.
It was a personal decision for me to stand and say that cricket is all I have in life, there's nothing I need to do other than cricket. If I want to achieve whatever I thought as a kid, I need to work hard and not let it go to waste.