Cricket has an altogether different passion in our country: Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina has represented Uttar Pradesh in the group stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16. His team has been able to qualify for the next round after getting successfully getting past a tough first hurdle. Raina was dropped from India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour, however, was retained for the T20Is and will join the team at a later stage.

In an interview to cricbuzz the southpaw spoke about his early days, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Test retirement, his love for bats and much more. He also spoke about the IPL, the effect of multiple coaches and the importance of fielding.

When asked about fans from the smaller towns who get very few opportunities to watch international cricketers play and his personal experiences coming from a small town Raina said, “In 1998, when I used to live in the Sports Colony in Lucknow, there was an India match in Kanpur and Sachin (Tendulkar) was playing. That time it was difficult for me to reach there. So I became a ball boy over there. For me it was a big deal to look at him. When you see a star on television and then you see him for real, it is a very big deal for all sports fans.”

“Cricket has an altogether different passion in our country. That is a good way to motivate yourself. When I met Sachin, I felt very nice. When I got a scholarship from Air India, I used to play Times Shield in Mumbai. Sachin used to come and practice there. While you watch your hero practice in front of your eyes, he becomes your role model. You look at how he plays and then when you see your hero live again, you want people to recognise you just like him. You too aspire to play for your country. The kind of activity that players do on the ground serves as a morale booster. It becomes a motivation for kids from smaller towns and villages. At least, it made a huge difference for me. I don’t know how other people look at their idols, whether they become happy or they learn something from them,” he added.

You too aspire to play for your country. The kind of activity that players do on the ground serves as a morale booster. It becomes a motivation for kids from smaller towns and villages. At least, it made a huge difference for me. I don’t know how other people look at their idols, whether they become happy or they learn something from them,” he added.

When asked about the bat he received from Sachin the dashing left-hander said, “I did get a Larsons bat signed by Tendulkar. I have 200-250 odd bats. Since the beginning I loved bats. My house was in Muradnagar and the bat factory is one hour away from there. If you ask anyone in the Indian team, everyone is behind my bats. They are our bread and butter.”

“I’ve made it like a museum. There are bats from the IPL. Matthew Hayden had given me a mongoose bat. Michael Hussey had given me a bat with which he scored a century in Ashes. The bat broke during the course of the innings. He had signed it for me. (Muttiah) Muralitharan sir had signed a ball for me. I’ve also kept that. Dhoni had signed a t-shirt for me and gave me before his last Test,” he added.

When asked about the secret behind MS Dhoni’s sudden Test retirement he said, “Nobody had a clue (about his retirement). He came up to me and said that “I have an extra large (jersey). This is Double XL. Keep this.” I got a hint that he was going to do something. So I got it signed and asked him the next morning. It was his last day. He was having his breakfast and not talking to anyone. So I thought something is going to happen in the evening. As soon as the Test match got over, he called everyone and said that he wanted to say something. That time I knew that he was going to retire. It is a difficult time for a player. He slept with his t-shirt on the entire night. Ishant (Sharma), Ash (R Ashwin), Virat (Kohli) and me were all sitting in his room. He said, “After tonight, I’m not going to wear the white jersey.””

“People were constantly asking when he will retire. It shouldn’t happen like that. A sportsman works very hard. He has played for so many years. He was on a tough tour. Log duwayein denge to acha hai (It is good if people pray for your success). Luckily he is a strong character,” he opined.

“That is people’s thinking. As a captain, you have to take all the responsibility. If you lose, you will be criticised. Even if you win, there are people who will criticise you. When India won a match in Indore, Dhoni had said, “People are waiting to criticise you.” He doesn’t want to say it. But then he realises that the water has flown over the bridge. So it was time to take some water off with a bucket. Just because he is quiet doesn’t mean that people can go on saying whatever they feel like. Only once he retires, people will realise what he has achieved for the country.” were Raina’s views about the criticism faced by MS Dhoni.

About the IPL, he said, “Nowadays a lot of kids from small towns get to play in IPL. They get to play for India, earn money and look after their families. They can consult good doctors. There have been players in whose families, members have suffered from cancer and they have been able to afford the medical costs. People don’t see that. They just see the glamour. They don’t see the hard work that the players put in on the field. Everyone gets their due. No one gets any more or any less.”

About the concept of multiple coaches, he said, “Different players need different coaching methods. For me, I don’t like having too many people to coach me. I need to know how my game works, how my mind thinks. All I need is a bit of fine-tuning. Gary used to motivate me, MS tells me to go and play my natural game. Hayden and Hussey were like that. They all think alike.”

About the importance of fielding, he said, “Fitness levels have changed. Just by being a good batsman or a good bowler, you cannot get into the team. You need to be a good fielder as well. One dropped catch can turn the match. There are different fielding drills that we have to go through. You have to train well.”

“Nowadays there are good doctors, trainers and physios with the team. You have to eat and train properly. Ajinkya (Rahane), Rohit (Sharma), Virat, Manish (Pandey) and (Ravindra) Jadeja are all good fielders. No one would’ve thought earlier that India can be among the top three fielding sides in the world. Everyone says that you need to be a good batting side or a good bowling side, but fielding is also equally important now. That is why we managed to reach the World Cup semifinal,” he concluded.