Quotes from Gautam Gambhir

Any opportunity you get to play for your country and wear that blue cap is an honour.

My mood depends on how I treat my toothbrushes. Being a skipper is a strenuous job, and when you are going through a rough phase, obviously you start taking out your frustration. You can't take it out on anyone: you can't take it out on your teammates or your wife. The only person that is left is your toothbrush.

T20 runs should only be a criteria to get selected for a T20 side. The moment you start picking players in the one-day format by their T20 performance, then you are giving your domestic 50-over competitions absolutely no relevance.

Some individuals relish the fact that they are not drawing attention and can quietly go about their game while others want to show off.

If you start beating opponents in their backyard is when you give yourself a chance to remain No.1.

Our flag is our identity, and we can't disrespect or let anyone else disrespect our identity.

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 have never played cricket for selfish reasons like scoring 800-900 runs on flat tracks to make a comeback.

I love discussing my game with people who have similar mindsets.

I am very insecure because that's how I have played cricket. Since Under-14, I was told, 'If you don't perform, you will be dropped.' I have started living with this system.

I am an intense person on the field. I always want to win, as it matters to me a lot. That's why I never like to lose the focus or intensity.

A small country like Israel has compulsory military training. But countries like India, that are so much bigger, have no compulsory military training, so people don't understand how the military functions. They have no knowledge of how it works, no respect for it.

When I am captaining a side, the way I play would be the way my team plays as well. If I will be joking around all the time, I wouldn't expect people to take me seriously.

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.

Kolkata Knight Riders is not about me. It is about the team.

White ball cricket can be taxing on bowlers and can be a distraction for a youngster, too.

If a youngster can come up to me and share his problems or share his experiences or share something that he does off cricket, that can obviously help you build a better relation with one-on-one, and that can help you captain him on the cricket field.

Youngsters getting hooked to IPL is a dangerous sign for Indian cricket.

When I play for Delhi in Ranji Trophy, I try to help Delhi win, and when I play IPL for KKR, I aim to make KKR win.

Ask any batsman what gives him maximum satisfaction. It's scoring runs, whether it's Ranji Trophy or any form of the game. When you get back to your room, knowing that you have scored a hundred, it gives you satisfaction.

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.

Sometimes it's important to get out of that comfort zone and, I think, try new things, and sometimes you can express yourself better.

When you come out of your comfort zone, you can express yourself in front of the whole world, and there was no better stage to express yourself as a batsman and as a leader than IPL.

There are not enough turning pitches in India, which is why we are not getting good spinners.