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There are so many fans and so many people who care deeply about this game, and it is because of these fans that we are who we are as cricketers.

Apart from being celebrities, there's a huge amount of respect associated with being cricketers and a certain amount of reverence and honour associated with representing India. In people's eyes, apart from other celebrities in India, I think for sportsmen in India there's a certain amount of regard.

When I came to America in 1978, I was a huge sports fan - the problem was, my sport was cricket. Shockingly enough, no one wanted to talk cricket with me!

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.

A weak, insecure nation needs sporting heroes, players larger than life on the cricketing field, who can transcend the limitations of their country and team.

Try and understand: cricket was played by Commonwealth countries only; now it has started in other countries as well, and I am proud of that.

Since childhood, I have been a cricket fanatic.

Many Continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game.

The people you choose to have around you make all the difference. My family and close friends keep me grounded. You have to have a mind of your own and a strong head on your shoulders. Cricket is the most important thing to me, so the rest of it pales in comparison.

Conflict of interest and lack of transparency, though they are global features as we saw post-Iraq, almost define Indian cricket.