The passion for the game never dies.

The more you play, the more you understand the game.

After all the years of playing cricket, I am still learning and evolving.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

Strength doesn’t come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

Keep calm and do your job. That’s the key to success.

Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.

The feeling of representing your country is something you can never forget.

There were times when chemo would eat my body, but I told myself that I have the strength and courage to win and come out stronger.

I don’t believe in regrets. Every decision I made was part of my journey.

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.

Sometimes you have to push yourself beyond your limits to reach your goals.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

I will only think of settling down after Salman Khan, the other most eligible bachelor, plans to settle down. We are eligible bachelors, but he’s the rock star, so let him get married first; then I’ll think about myself.

The best part of my career was when I was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team.

I will continue to give my best to the game, no matter what.

Being positive is not pretending that everything is good. It’s seeing the good in everything.

No matter what people say, about what I did, about what I am like… They say you are not dedicated or hardworking. A lot of people say things about me, but they don’t realise I have played 250 games. It’s not like you just land up in the team, sit down and play 250 games. You can’t survive like that in international cricket.

Pressure is part and parcel of the game. I have always embraced it.

We have started calling him grandfather.

Failure doesn’t mean the game is over, it means try again with experience.

In sport, there is always room for improvement. Whenever I see my innings against the West Indies or Australia, I think, ‘Maybe, I could have done this better or should have changed that.’ See, cricket is a skill game, and one can always improve upon the impact one has on an innings.

I learned from my mistakes and worked on them.

Very sorry to disappoint you, guys. It was not for my girlfriend but for Sachin Tendulkar.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Beating cancer is personal battle. It was one of the toughest opponents I have faced so far, and I think I did reasonably well. Touch wood.

I am not afraid of failure. I am afraid of not trying.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is Good But Sourav Ganguly Best Captain.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

I am a great movie buff, and I devour films regularly.

I have always been a fighter. I will never give up.

When one is young, aspiring to play for the country, doing well, any hindrance, like injury or being out of form, can be frustrating and a cause of annoyance or even anger. But once you have a close encounter with death, you realise the real value of life.

Dream big. Work hard. Stay focused. Surround yourself with good people.

I’m past my wooing days now. See, I am an honest person. If I like a girl, I will go and tell her.

I had three sessions of chemotherapy so it was really tough, it was hard to go through it. But while I was going through my treatment, I was always motivated that I was going to come back and play for India. I think that’s what kept me going and got me through.

Cricket is a great leveller. No matter how good you are, you will get tested.

From a spectator point of view, Test cricket is not important; people hardly watch Test cricket. But as a player, Tests are the real thing. You have to concentrate for five days. It’s a lot of time, and not easy to do it day in and day out. If people have played 70-100 Tests, it’s a lot of cricket, a lot of concentration and dedication.

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.

Cancer has taught me a lot of things. Maybe it is the best thing that has happened to me. I can’t say right now, but maybe some years down the line, I would realise. When I was taking chemotherapy, there were a lot of elderly patients, and that would inspire me. I thought, ‘If they can be cured, why can’t I be?’

You have to keep fighting to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.

Don’t be scared… Be positive… Please don’t think that your life is about to end… Take the right advice and act as soon as you can… If there’s an issue in your system, don’t ignore it.

The battle against cancer has made me strong. It’s like winning a war! When I was diagnosed, I was told by doctors my kidney, liver and other organs could fail. It was tough. I didn’t know if I could save my life. But I was positive, and because of that, the doctor told me that I would be a man who would never have cancer.

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.