It was only after I made my Duleep Trophy debut did I think I had a realistic chance to play for India. I scored a double hundred, and I realised that I had the potential to play for my country because I played the best bowlers in the country at that time.

Mohammad Azharuddin

What has happened has happened. What is done cannot be undone. There is no point in looking back and ruminating over the past. I am a forward-looking man. I want to look ahead; I want to put my past behind me. I want to make my country proud.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Allah is with people who show patience. If you are down in the dumps, Allah will help you if you have belief. But this is a personal thing between you and him. You can't fool Allah.

Mohammad Azharuddin

At times, you are mentally but not physically prepared; at times, you are physically but not mentally prepared. I would be lying if I said it doesn't affect your performance. But the sooner you get over it, the better. So you discipline yourself. That is why fitness counts.

Mohammad Azharuddin

The biggest thing I possess is infinite patience. Once you are patient, things fall in place.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Many of us forget who we were before we became cricketers. I remember how hard I tried to get an autograph when I was young.

Mohammad Azharuddin

We in the Congress Party are hoping to do greater efforts to help the people of India, especially the downtrodden who find it very tough to get ahead in life. We are focusing on tackling issues related to unemployment and poverty.

Mohammad Azharuddin

I have always been communicative. I can't help it if I have been misunderstood. Sometimes, people don't like straight answers.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Mentally, I am very strong; physically I am very strong. I think that keeps me going. That keeps me strong all the time.

Mohammad Azharuddin

I had lost my grandfather just a month-and-a-half before I made my debut. I was suddenly scoring runs and getting into the fray. It was a very trying period for me. I was happy as well as sad.

Mohammad Azharuddin

My uncle used to play cricket. I got used to the game at home. As kids we used to all wonder seeing the bats lying around the house. As we grew older, we realised what the game was all about, and then our interest in the game grew.

Mohammad Azharuddin

My strength is my humility. When you are humble, people like you.

Mohammad Azharuddin

I never played for records. If I had played for records, then I would have had many more runs against my name. If, by your performance, the team wins, then that is what is most gratifying.

Mohammad Azharuddin

A lot of things that should not be written were written without checking with me, things that were not in good taste. That hurt me. That is why I stopped talking to the press. Because they didn't want to ask me. They just wanted to write what they felt like.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Cricket was a splendid chapter of my life; indeed, it made me what I am today. However, cricket alone isn't the only flavour of life. Sometimes, indeed, we tend to take sports too seriously and life too casually.

Mohammad Azharuddin

People are going to write things about you, but you have to take the good with the bad, so you shouldn't take it very seriously. If you take it to heart, it'll get very difficult to deal with. So, just take it with a pinch of salt.

Mohammad Azharuddin

When you are scoring runs, you automatically become a good leader because you are armed with so much confidence. If you struggle with your performance, then it becomes very difficult for a leader to perform his role.

Mohammad Azharuddin

I want to improve cricket at the district level because lot of hardworking players come from districts. We have produced so many great players, but now we don't have players in the Indian team. My intention is to work hard for the game of cricket.

Mohammad Azharuddin

If you ask me the best bowler, then Wasim Akram was the best bowler because he had a lot of variety. Even when you were batting on 100 or 150, you're not very sure... He could still get you out. That was his forte.

Mohammad Azharuddin

I always thought that I played better when I was the captain. If you look at my record during the six years I was captain - except for a couple of series - I did very well.

Mohammad Azharuddin

You need to protect the best players in the country. When there is so much cricket, we must work on ways to prolong their careers.

Mohammad Azharuddin