Shahid Afridi Quotes

My memories of playing against Pakistan have been happy times for India.

There is nothing more exciting in sport when the top two countries in the world are battling for the Ashes.

Sports is an imitation of war - it is peaceful, without arms, but there is fierce rivalry in it. Sports demonstrate that Russia is a great power.

There's a fiercely competitive rivalry between myself and Virat Kohli - but also enormous mutual respect.

Regardless of where we play, we should play India on regular basis.

The Australians are a weird bunch - until the cricket starts they're really friendly, saying 'good luck' all the time, but the moment the cricket begins they have a real go at you.

It's not win or die at my house. We're all competitive, but it's not the type to get stressed out by it.

Buy a steak for a player on another club after the game, but don't even speak to him on the field. Get out there and beat them to death.

Sledging makes things interesting. There are no robots playing. They are humans who want to perform well for the country. So when stakes are so high, emotions will take over. Sometimes sledging gets the best out of you.

India-Pakistan matches always capture the imagination of people from either side.

To be honest, there are no problems between me and Messi. People have their own opinions about who they think is the better player. It is what it is, but there is no rivalry beyond games and what happens on the pitch.

It's nice when you can have that battle on the pitch and then there's respect after the game because, ultimately, you are just trying to do your best.

Respect is having respect for the people you play with and against, and respect for the shirt. Unity is about sticking together but also uniting the country. That was always the bigger cause for us, not just the cricket.

In very few countries I enjoyed cricket more than I did in India. I would always remember the love my team and I got from the fans here.

Frankly speaking, the pleasure and satisfaction you get after performing against India you don't get against any team, and if you ask the Indian players, they would have similar sentiments.

Lee is such a brilliant rival. I treasure the opportunities we have to play each other.

An opportunity to play for your country is never senseless and especially when the games are competitive.

In Serbia, it is amazing pressure. When we lose a game, it is like somebody dies. It is really horrible.

When you're around a sport awhile and sort of get to know everybody, you start to appreciate people more instead of just seeing a number and a sponsor and a competitor.

It's a very competitive world out there. The competitive spirit is fine within limits. But it shouldn't drown the sheer joy of the game being played. It's natural to want to win. But to me, it's not natural to want others to fail.

I respected opponents as well as teammates and coaches.

I can honestly say that every time I go on court, I see the opponent in a competitive way, but not a rival.

I like many things in English football - everyone lives and breathes it here. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't like Spanish football.

What I love about England is that the fans have great respect for the players on and off the pitch.

My philosophy is to respect the opposition off the field and play it as tough as possible on it.