It’s been over seven months since he last donned the blue jersey, but Indian batsman Suresh Raina hasn’t given up on the thought of playing the World Cup in England and Wales later this year.
The Indian Premier League has been Raina’s hunting ground in the past, and the upcoming season may serve as a big opportunity for him. The 32-year-old, however, said he has always done his best and will continue doing so for the defending champions Chennai Super Kings, “irrespective of the circumstance”.
“I have always given my best to the team I play for, be it national, domestic or IPL. And, I’ll continue to do so during any upcoming matches too, irrespective of the circumstance. But yes, who wouldn’t want to lift the World Cup twice.”Suresh Raina to timesnownews.com
After 2 years and 8 months, Raina had made a comeback to the ODI squad for the England tour in July last year, and put up scores of 46 and 1 in two matches. He batted just once in the T20Is series before that, scoring 27 off 20 balls. However, since that tour, he was dropped and never found his way back into either the ODI or T20I teams.
When asked if his exclusion was unfair, Raina told timesnownews.com, “Definitely. I was surely not expecting to be dropped because I got limited matches to play and during those matches, I did fairly well. But you know, you can’t really blame anyone for these things. I work hard, focus on my form & fitness every day. I am continuing to do my job.”
Raina Makes His Pick for No 4 Spot
While India’s core group for the World Cup has been more or less decided, the number 4 slot in the batting line-up continues to be a debated upon. Raina believes that middle-order spot brings with it pressure that MS Dhoni is best equipped to handle.
“As I’ve recently said, Dhoni brings with him the experience of a fantastic finisher and when you come in to bat at no 4, the pressure has already started to build and you’ve got to keep your calm. And everyone knows how good he is at it.”Suresh Raina
Raina was one of the 22 players retained by CSK from their last year’s squad. The defending champions start their IPL campaign in the league’s opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore on 23 March.
(With inputs from timesnownews.com)
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