Quotes from Ravichandran Ashwin

I think initially people never gave spinners a chance. They thought spinners will just be hammered all over the park.

Especially with athletic pubalgia and the patellar tendonitis - I used to bowl six balls and then I used to be gasping for breath. And there would be pain all over the place.

There was a time when I was studying in school when one of my coaches clearly told me I shouldn't be bowling at selection trials. We had a couple of off spinners from our own school and he said that if I bowled off spin, their chances would get affected. So, I didn't really bowl at the trials till I was in my late teens.

When I was playing Under-14s I had a bit of a problem with a pelvic slip disc. That left me bed-ridden for about six weeks.

Once cricket is seen as a possible profession, a youngster's life can be so altered that cricket becomes second nature to him.

The mindset in India is to get an education that will secure a job, and then think about how to get a particular salary. We're used to that kind of a life, and that's how we bring up our children.

I think the most complete performance has to be the spell I bowled in Bangladesh. In Fatullah. That was one heck of a spell. Bowled over a period of two days, maybe a bit more. That was a delight.

I did give leg-spin a try as well. I used to play a lot of under-arm cricket in the streets of Chennai. I can spin the legbreak a mile. But when I tried it, a lot of people discouraged me saying it was very difficult.

Whether it is my return to Test or not, I have always bowled with heart and soul. A good performance always spurs you on.

I started the game, in the nets, I used to be a little sceptical. When I bowled, the balance of the ball was a lot different to the red ball.

At the end of the day, however big or whatever I have achieved, if I am not able to enjoy what I really enjoy, then there is no point having this life.

The bowler wants to win the game. The batsman needs to bat well to get runs. No question about it.

I won't say if nerd is the right term, but I'm a big, big cricket fanatic. I just cannot stop thinking, talking cricket. I do carry notebooks and make notes to look at improving and developing my own game.

Numbers are not important. Muttiah Muralitharan is a legend with 800 wickets. I don't even know if I can play the number of matches he has played. It was nice to get noticed but frankly numbers don't attract me much.

Whatever happens in the lower body is in direct relation to what is happening in the upper body, as far as bowling is concerned.

I am a very sensitive person, especially when it comes to heart-to-heart conversations. I am straightforward and I expect the same from people.

Parents need to realise that cricket now offers a decent standard of living and earning potential, and not just for international cricketers. They need to stop thinking they are taking a huge gamble with their child's life if they let a child pursue sport as career.

I wanted to make myself the most valuable player by making my presence felt at the decisive moments.

I have to thank batting coach Sanjay Bangar for providing valuable inputs. He gave me honest feedback about how poorly I was batting and what were the aspects I needed to focus on.

Adaptability is one of the biggest strengths that I have. To make decisions on the field, try and convince my captain to change fields, try and make him give that extra couple of overs.

When you turn up at a ground, you expect the wicket to behave in a certain fashion and it doesn't. There are so many variables in this game. It becomes even more important when it comes to T20 cricket.

I'm able to make out the difference in my cricket since I started studying engineering. I can't explain how or why, but once I've started to do engineering my cricket has gone up by leaps and bounds.

When you're in form you're happy and want to go out there and play everyday. It's like that with studying. Once you learn something and develop your thinking, you want to study more.

I have always enjoyed my cricket, be it home or abroad.