I was hurt on getting dropped even after performing well: Suresh Raina

Veteran Indian cricketer Suresh Raina is eagerly waiting to take the field for the Indian side one more time. The southpaw last played for India a year against England in a T20I in Bengaluru. In that game, he had top scored for the Indian side with a gutsy fifty in a match-winning cause. However, he was dropped from the assignments that came thereafter for the national side.

The reason that was later enlisted for his omission was his failure in the yo-yo tests. Recently, Suresh Raina reflected back at time and admitted that he felt hurt to be dropped despite having played well for the Indian team. However, he did not let that big him down and worked hard on his fitness to clear the yo-yo tests. He expressed his desire to play the ICC World Cup 2019 and remarked that a lot of cricket is still left in him. Raina, who recently hailed the Indian captain Virat Kohli for consistent performances, feels he will do well in South Africa as well.

“I was hurt on getting dropped even after performing well. But now I have cleared the Yo-Yo test and feeling so strong. During all these months of hard training, the desire to play for India again grew only so much stronger. I won’t leave it here. I have to play for India for as long as possible. I have to play the 2019 World Cup because I know I have done well in England,” Suresh Raina told Aaj Tak.

“There is still a lot left in me and I am extremely confident of doing well in these three games in South Africa,” he added.

Age is just a number

Raina admitted that he is at the wrong side of the 30s but believes in the old adage age being just a number. He remarked that even after having played cricket for so long, he still feels like a debutante every time he takes the field for the Indian team.

“Yes, I am 31 but, as they say it, age is just a number. The other day when my match clothing arrived, I had the same feeling like I got before making my India debut. It is so special,” he mentioned.

Number 4 slot in the ODIs

Suresh Raina has clearly set his sights on the number four slot in the Indian side in the ODI format. In the last few assignments, the team has tried a lot of players at the number four slot – Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, and Ajinkya Rahane. However, Raina knows that he can get a few consistent scores in T20 cricket, he can make a comeback to the ODI side and bid for that coveted slot.

“If you talk about the No 4 slot in the ODIs, it is not an easy one to bat on. Most of the time the team is in a tricky situation when the No 4 comes to bat, especially while chasing. One needs to attack, change the gears constantly. I personally feel that the No 4 and 5 slot suits more to my style of batting,” Raina conceded.

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