By Sehwag

"Yeh bowling kar raha hai ya bheekh maang raha hai? [Is he bowling or begging?]"

To Pakistan close-in fielders after Shoaib Akhtar's continuous sledging, asking Sehwag to hook. Even Shoaib's team-mates couldn't keep from laughing. Multan, 2003-04

"I was batting on 291 at Chepauk, against South Africa. I told Paul Harris: 'Come round the wicket and first ball I'll hit you for a six.' He accepted my challenge and the very first ball I hit him for a straight six, and there was a long-off, long-on, deep midwicket and a deep point. I was so tired and he was bowling on the pads and I was getting bored. So rather than spending 10-15 minutes to get to the triple-century I gave him good advice."

On Paul Harris. Chennai, 2008

"They are bowling into my body, and I'm playing my hook and flick shots to get boundaries. There is no other [effective] way they can bowl to me."

On New Zealand bowlers, whom he admitted to feeling sorry for. Hamilton, 2008-09

"Boycott can say what he wants. He once batted the whole day and hit just one four." On Geoff Boycott, who had referred to him as "talented but brainless"

"No, I don't know anything about them. I haven't even heard about them."

On Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy after narrowly missing their world record for the highest opening partnership in Tests. Lahore, 2005-06

"Our bank balance."

When asked for 343867th time what was the difference between him and Sachin Tendulkar

"It's soft, but that's the way we are."

On his decision to withdraw the appeal for mankading against Lahiru Thirimanne. Brisbane, 2011-12

"Ball ka ghar hai boundary, wahan usay pahunchao [The ball lives beyond that boundary, keep sending it there]" In an advert series titled "Sehwag Ke Thande Funde" [Sehwag's cool fundas]

"In the dressing room they told me I was hitting the good balls too, but if you look at it my way, I hit only the bad ones." On his 284 not out in less than a day. Brabourne Stadium, 2009-10

"No, there is no danger. We are the most dangerous batsmen in the world."

To security people in Durban who insisted he and Gautam Gambhir not walk out on their own late in the evening

"Obviously when you are on 94, you can get there with just a six."

To Paddy Upton and Eric Simons on what advice he gave VVS Laxman when he was on 94. Sehwag was running for the injured Laxman. P Sara Oval, 2010

"We have to work hard to take 20 English wickets. They are not Bangladesh."

On England; his appraisal of Bangladesh hadn't changed. Ahmedabad, 2012-13

On Sehwag

"The best way to know how Virender Sehwag's mind works is to sit next to him in the players' balcony when India are batting. Every few minutes he will clutch his head and yell, "Chauka gaya" or "Chhakka gaya". That's his way of expressing disappointment at somebody's failure to take advantage of a ball that he thought deserved to be hit for four or six. That's how he thinks, in fours and sixes."

Sourav Ganguly, in a Wisden Asia Cricket piece

"Jeremy Snape told me a great story about him while we were working together in the Indian Premier League. Sehwag and Snape were batting for Leicestershire against Middlesex when Abdul Razzaq started reverse-swinging the ball in the way that the Pakistan bowlers do. Sehwag came up to Snape and said: 'We must lose this ball. I have a plan.' Next over, he whacked that ball clean out of the ground, forcing the umpires to pick another from the box that would obviously not reverse straight away. To which Sehwag said: 'We are all right for one hour.' Smart, I say."

Shane Warne, in his list of his top 100 cricketers

"Just had a bowlers' meeting. The area of the pitch we're supposed to land it on against Sehwag is about two millimetres by two millimetres."

Stuart Clark about his preparation before the Super Test

"Well, we talked about not playing rash strokes. Of course, he hears me but I'm not sure if he ever listens." Sachin Tendulkar on the advice he gave when Sehwag was on 295 in Multan

"It's very frustrating, especially after you have batted the way I did, making it look hard for five hours, and then he comes out and smacks it everywhere."

Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine ponders if his struggle to score 92 off 196 was worth it after watching Sehwag loot 59 off 54 on the same pitch. Mohali, 2010-11

"Sehwag can change the course of a match with the ease of Moses parting the Red Sea."

Ian Chappell says Sehwag can put the fear of god in bowlers

"I would think 'Abhi out hua, abhi out hua [He looks like he is going to get out soon]', and suddenly he would be 100 in 100 balls."

Harbhajan Singh on bowling to Sehwag in junior cricket