I am not the only intense or intellectual cricketer. I played with other cricketers who could be pretty intense and intellectual.

Sachin Tendulkar is already a 'Bharat Ratna' for Indian people because of his phenomenal success and the manner in which he has served Indian cricket for years.

Cricket is just something that I am good at, just like various people are good at various things. What's lucky is that cricket gets enormous publicity.

My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.

I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling. No dream is ever chased alone.

There are so many fans and so many people who care deeply about this game, and it is because of these fans that we are who we are as cricketers.

I am not the only intense or intellectual cricketer. I played with other cricketers who could be pretty intense and intellectual.