Top 121 Quotes & Sayings by Gautam Gambhir

When I got dropped for the World Cup, there were times I didn't want to play anymore. I didn't want to practise. I couldn't motivate myself. Then I said, 'Look what are the options?' Cricket is the only option. Whether I play happily or sadly, it's still all I have. There are not a lot of things I am good at.

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.

One needs to be clear headed. I believe in all-round fitness.

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

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

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 you need to be a leader, not a captain. You may have seen a lot of captains in this country, but the most important thing is to be a leader.

Cricket is a team game. If you want fame for yourself, go play an individual game.

When you go out on the field, you don't go out to make friends... I play to win the game and not just to compete.

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

One thing I realised was that everyone is different. You can't compare two human beings.

A bowler will always say it's a batsman's game.

In India, you need to look intense to be classified a good cricketing brain.

I am a completely different person off the field, and my friends and family can vouch for that.

Winning is something that makes people happy.

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

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

You need different skills to do well in 50-overs cricket. You need completely different skills to do well in Test cricket. You need different skills to do well in T20 cricket. It is not the same.

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

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.

Call me whatever you want; I'll always speak for the Army. Without understanding the extreme conditions they're in, you can't question the extreme action they take.

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.

Yes, it is always good to contribute, but the most important thing is where we finish on the points table. That is more important to me than how many runs I score.

Most of my diet is low on carbohydrates and fats.

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

At one point, when I didn't make the 2007 World Cup squad, I was very, very frustrated. Then I became very hard on myself. Whenever I used to go to the nets, or when I trained in the gym, I was very hard on myself. I couldn't sleep; I used to think a lot. Very, very desperate to make a comeback.

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

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.

People who are talking about banning IPL, they should think about many other things that are troubling the country. People who want to look after IPL will do.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

It's not a successful captain that makes a successful team.

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 came into the Indian team and was touted as someone who did well only against weaker oppositions. There were doubts creeping into my game. I was looking for support, someone to put an arm around my shoulder and say I am good and I belong to this place. Virender Sehwag is that someone for me.

Ravi Shastri has been claiming that Indian team was very successful under him, but he never told us that India lost ODI series to Bangladesh, lost ODI series to South Africa at home.

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

Sportsmen do not need Bollywood or film industry; they do not need publicity: it could be the other way round.

I've always wanted to do something for the defence forces - I've always said that the Army always has been my first love. It's about what they do selflessly for the country.

I don't enjoy cricket. I just take it as a priority... something that I have to do.

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

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.

I want to do whatever will make my team win.

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.

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.

Irrespective of whether Anil Kumble is the coach or Ravi Shastri, what's more important is that India wins.

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.

I would never go to a cinema hall to watch a biopic on a cricketer. I am not a big fan of people making biopics on sportsmen, especially cricketers. I think there are far bigger people who have done much more for the country, and films should be made on them.

Every relation forms its own defined and non-defined rules.

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.

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.

When I go on to the field, it is also like my office. I have to give my 100 per cent, and I have to be really committed to it. It's all about winning.

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

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

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.

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.

According to me, there couldn't be a better choice for India's coach than Anil Kumble.