Learnt how to finish games from Dhoni: Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina looked a relieved man when Ravindra Jadeja smashed the winning runs off KKR’s Nathan Coulter-Nile. Gujarat Lions had arrested the slide, in some ways. Nobody gave them a chance against KKR, and rightly so, for they had been destroyed by the team from Kolkata in their opening game a couple of weeks ago. The fact that they were playing at the Eden Gardens, added to their woes.

But Suresh Raina ensured that the chase of 188 went smoothly. He scored a crisp half-century, which was his second of the season and incidentally, against the same opposition. His 84 came off just 46 balls and included 4 sixes and 9 boundaries. The 30-year-old was lethal against the spinners, especially Narine. He wanted to fight fire with fire and succeeded in leading his team to a 4-wicket win which took them away from the last spot in the points table.

After finishing at the top of the table last year, a lot was expected from Gujarat Lions this season. But things never panned out well for them as a team and injuries to a couple of crucial players never helped them. They are still awaiting the return of their star player Dwayne Bravo, who is nursing an injury. Speaking to IPLT20.com, Raina spoke about the low morale of the team leading up to this game.

“It was a crucial win and a much-needed one keeping in mind the situation we are in in the tournament. I am glad we got a win tonight. I am very relieved. To stay alive we had to win this game and move forward. Had we not got this one under our belt I am sure we would have been very disappointed in the dressing room.” He said.

The move of promoting Aaron Finch to the opening slot, which is a familiar territory for him, worked well for the Lions as the Australian smashed a 15-ball 31 to give the team the perfect start in pursuit of 188. After his dismissal, Raina came in and capitalized on the good start to almost finish the innings himself (he fell when the team was 8 runs short of the winning run). Raina spoke about Dhoni’s contributions in his evolvement as a batsman.

“I love batting in pressure situations and it is a challenge I relish,” Raina observed. “I have batted with him (MS Dhoni) for almost ten years now and always admired how he would finish games for the side. I have learnt how to cut down on asking rates from 9 per over to a 7 per over from him. The middle overs in a T20 game is very important and you need to take calculated risks. It is something that I did tonight and have learnt over the years. I was hitting the ball really well and looked to be positive throughout my innings though wickets were falling at the other end.”

“When you are a captain, you are there to win a game and set examples for your side. It is something that I have learnt from Dhoni while playing with him for India and Chennai Super Kings.” Raina added.

He has been a long-term protégé of MS Dhoni ever since the left-hander made a successful comeback to the Indian Team in 2008. They have shared great partnerships which have culminated into memorable victories.

Gujarat Lions needs to keep the momentum going as they have to do some climbing up in the points table. They will now host Kings XI Punjab, another struggling side, in a day game at Rajkot on Sunday.