GAUTAM GAMBHIR

Any quality player can adjust well to the different demands. It is like a good tennis player who is expected to adjust to the clay at the French Open, the grass at Wimbledon, the hard courts of the U.S. and the heat of the Australian Open. A professional is expected to do all that.

I play for India, I play for the 100 million people of my country.

I've always maintained that the problem in India is that we only give credit to big contributions.

I think the only time I show my emotions and anger is on the cricket field; otherwise, I've mellowed down. And with age, I think, with age you always end up mellowing down.

Yes, I'm the same grumpy Gautam who smiles very less on the field. I go very quiet before going into the match. I guess it works for me, though my team-mates keep telling me it is just a game.

I think only a batsman will be able to tell you about the goose bumps he gets after hitting a perfect cover drive. I'm one of them.

I believe in backing players and helping them out with their game.

I've always maintained - a captain is only as good as his team. It is not about my leadership, it is not about me.

I think that a leader is someone that needs to make an impact on, off the cricket field and in their lives as well.

I grew up playing on unprepared surfaces where your wicket depended on quickly adapting to the bounce. As a kid, I could never differentiate off-spin from leg-spin. All I looked to do was to try to hit the ball before it pitched.

I am a great believer that a captain is as good as his team.

To me, form is not about scoring runs but how you feel about your game. Sometimes the runs are not there, but you know you are batting well, and that is good form for me.

I think Delhiites know how to party, but Kolkata has people who know how to celebrate. I think that's the main difference.

The face of the team are the people who're playing on the cricket field. The team is not about one individual.

When I'm playing a team sport, it's not about one individual, it's about everyone, from me to the other 23 people who were there, to all the support staff who've worked very hard behind the scenes.

I think a captain is someone who captains on the cricket field but, most of the leadership that happens is off the cricket field. It's very easy to captain people on the cricket field, but if you can start leading them off the cricket field, and show them that trust, what you have in them.

Whatever good or bad is said by former cricketers is considered gospel. Our media should not blow out of proportion the opinion of former cricketers.

Being an impatient guy, even off the field, I would always look to score runs and score them quickly. Sometimes I panic if runs are not coming.

It used to hurt me that people thought I didn't have the technique and the temperament to play Test cricket.

I can bat in the morning, afternoon, evening, night, on ice, desert, wherever and whenever. It is almost nirvana for me. It takes me away from the stresses of life.

Sometime you need to give credit to the opposition.

Sledging makes things interesting. There are no robots playing. They are humans who want to perform well for the country. So when stakes are so high, emotions will take over. Sometimes sledging gets the best out of you.

When you feel comfortable about your game, you are in a happy space, feel at peace with yourself.

No one can act like Bachchan saab or bat like Virender Sehwag.

Obviously, you want to get big runs. But then, as a captain, you want to play on result-oriented wickets.