Keep making us proud: Suresh Raina lauds Natarajan, Chahal, and Jadeja after Canberra T20I heroics
Former Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina congratulated the Indian cricket team after their first T20I win against Australia at the Manuka Oval. The 2011 Cricket World Cup winner praised T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravindra Jadeja for their brilliant performances against the Aussies.
"Congratulations #TeamIndia. What fantastic performances by @imjadeja & @yuzi_chahal. @Natarajan_91, what an outstanding debut in T20! Keep believing in your dreams buddy & keep making us proud. #INDvsAUS," Suresh Raina wrote on Twitter after the match," Raina tweeted.
Yuzvendra Chahal won the Man of the Match award after coming in as a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja. The Saurashtra-based all-rounder got hit on the helmet during his game-changing knock of 44 runs. Meanwhile, T Natarajan impressed on his debut, returning with figures of 3/30 in four overs.
Can the Indian cricket team replicate Suresh Raina and co's performance from the 2015/16 Australian tour?
After a magnificent win in Canberra, the Indian cricket team will return to the Sydney Cricket Ground for the 2nd T20I against Australia. The Men in Blue lost both ODIs at SCG in the one-day series last week. However, they could draw inspiration from Suresh Raina and his teammates' performances during the 2015/16 Australian tour.
Playing under MS Dhoni's captaincy, the Indian cricket team blanked Australia 3-0 in the T20I series. It is pertinent to note that no other country have been successful in whitewashing the Aussies in a 3-match T20I series at home.
Suresh Raina was an integral part of the team, while Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah made their T20I debuts in that series.
T Natarajan received his maiden T20I cap in the ongoing series, while Ravindra Jadeja seems to be in the best batting form of his life. It will be interesting to see if Virat Kohli's men can secure the series in Sydney this Sunday.