MS Dhoni

“If you are good at studies, and you want to play cricket, you may work harder than any other person, but you may not achieve it. So it's something you have to balance in life and be practical where you are good and then channelise your efforts in the right direction to be successful in life.”

“You have seen cricketers who are not god-gifted, but even then, they have gone far. That's because of the passion.”

“In Test matches, you have to play consistent cricket for a period of time.”

“I believe in giving more than 100% on the field, and I don't really worry about the result if there's great commitment on the field. That's victory for me.”

“Maybe because I bat aggressively and go for big hits at times, people tend to remember my batting. But I have always done well as a stumper, too.”

“I am in the hands of Deori Maa. Every time I come to Ranchi, I visit her temple. I still remember my first visit.”

“You may earn whatever money you earn as a cricketer, but you want to play for your country. At the end of the day, you want to do something special. There are plenty of people who earn 50 crores or 100 crores as businessmen or big professionals or who are really doing well in business. But what gives pleasure to your mom and dad is the fame.”

“Finishing is one of the most difficult things to do in cricket. A player can't be a finisher in just 6 months or one year. You have to be used to that responsibility, keeping on doing what is required from you over a period of time.”

“Gut feeling is all about the experiences that you have had in your life. It is about being in difficult scenarios, knowing what worked, what did not work, and then taking a decision.”

“The biggest problem is when a player asks a captain why he is not playing but does not want an honest answer.”

“If you're playing against an aggressive side, you need to play an aggressive game.”

“Nobody wants to really play bad cricket.”

“I like to stay away from the game when I am not playing it.”

“It's important to learn and not repeat the same mistakes. What's done is done.”

“Even when you bowl a bad over, try to restrict it in between 15-18 runs, because if you go higher than that, it has a bigger impact on the game.”

“Strong characters are needed in the game.”

“If you don't perform, and you're part of the team, whether you're playing your first Test or 50th Test match, criticism goes hand in hand, so that's something you can't really get away from. If you don't perform, you will be criticised.”

“Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family. In fact I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family.”

“I live for the moment - not the future, not the past.”

“During a packed season, maintaining fitness becomes tough because you can't put too much effort into it. You're constantly monitoring workloads.”