Glad to bring smiles back on my teammates' faces: Suresh Raina after guiding India to victory in 2nd ODI
Suresh Raina produced a gem of an innings on Wednesday in the 2nd ODI of the 5-match series against England. His 75-ball 100 helped India come out of its prolonged overseas slump with a 133-run victory against the home side. This was also the 27-year-old’s first ODI century since 2010 and only his 4th in the 50-over internationals. Speaking after India’s comprehensive win, Raina expressed satisfaction on guiding India to success.
"This knock is one of the most special ones for me given the circumstances and the conditions," he told the BCCI website. "We hadn't won the game in a long time and to help the team break that jinx with a century was very satisfying," Raina was quoted saying after the Cardiff one-dayer.
The Uttar Pradesh player do admitted that the numbers were on his mind and was concerned about his lack of big scores since a long time in the middle of his innings under pressure.
"After I got my fifty, I got a bit conscious [about the score] because I hadn't scored a century since a long time and I wanted to finish well," Raina admitted. The limited over specialist drove India to a position of strength with incredible control and authority in shot making.
Raina determined to carry on
He exhibited greater control over the match and began to target the England bowlers with controllled aggression after the fall of Rohit Sharma for a patient and helpful 52. The batsman said the English bowlers went out of ideas once he started taking the attack to the opposition.
"Rohit also got out after his fifty and I was determined to carry on till the end. So I played khadoos (doggedly) for a while. After a while I started to play my shots, which did disturb the bowlers' rhythm. They struggled with their field placements and bowling areas. That's when I knew that I was dominating them and was thinking one step ahead of them."
Heaps praise on Ravi Shastri
With unending mysteries on the team director Ravi Shastri and coach Duncan Fletcher’s role in the team setup after India summoned the former Indian player to “oversee” the struggling team, Raina found Shastri comfortable to interact with. He revealed that the 52-year-old gave him some inspirational pep talk in the team meeting and also in the team bus enroute to the venue.
"Ravi Shastri gave us a lot of confidence. He came to the team meeting and said a few words to the team which were very inspiring. He was also sitting with me in the bus when we were on our way to the stadium and he told me, 'khadoos khelna hai (play a stubborn game)'.
“There is a different comfort level when you talk to a former Indian player; you can be free and honest. All the other coaches have been very supportive as well but Ravi Shastri set the tone for us and instilled confidence in the team," revealed the top performer of the match.
With India looking for individuals to cement their places ahead of the World Cup 2015, Raina seems to have done just that.
Glad to bring smiles back on teammates’ faces
India failed to register a single victory in ODIs in its previous tours to South Africa and New Zealand. Moreover, their wretched form in the longer formats continued in their ongoing tour as they surrendered the series 1-3. With the first ODI washed away with rain, India were on a high after the long awaited success and Raina was happy for his role in the win.
The Man of the Match attributed his success to the training stint with Sachin Tendulkar and former India batsman Pravin Amre in Mumbai before the start of the series.
"After all the work I had put into my game in Mumbai with Sachin paaji and Amre sir, I was determined to join the team and bring them some happiness, whether it is by scoring a hundred or taking a brilliant catch. I had to bring the smiles back on my teammates' faces. I am glad I could do that today," he concluded.