For a spinner growing up in England, it is challenging to become an off-spinner. The line and length needs to be altered on each of the four days of county cricket or five days of Test matches. The pitches in England don't have a set pattern. It changes with each day, and accordingly, the length varies.

When you're young, you want to live fast, but you definitely don't want to die young. At the same time, you want to do things in slow, progressive manner that will benefit you in the future. Don't jump into things.

I am just enjoying what cricket has given me. In sports, it's obviously really important for all of us to remain fit - and health is wealth, so health comes with the sport.

Either you face the challenges in life head on or back out. And I am not someone to back out from challenges.

Respect can be as elusive as the unicorn. I know something of this because I write books that are set in the Middle Ages, and the historical novel is often seen as the unwanted stepchild in the fictional family. I know even more about respect - or the lack thereof - because I live in New Jersey.

We're just like a regular family.

I grew up poor in India, and there were days when we struggled to find food and other basic necessities. Our mother worked odds and ends jobs to keep the family together and educate us.

During the curfew, whoever went out, the people were watching you. Any Japanese home, there was some person figuring he's a good American citizen by doing his duty, and they were watching every move each family were doin'. Or if they went out, they followed them to see where they were goin'.