Suresh Raina talks about the best advice MS Dhoni gave him

A fairly good season for him as a batter in the Indian Premier League was not enough for Suresh Raina to earn a spot back in the Indian team. He is currently enjoying his time off the field, vacationing overseas with his wife and daughter, getting fitter in the gym and meeting PM Modi. Though there was a possibility until some time back that he would play in the TNPL, the updates from BCCI now suggest that no outstation players can participate in the tournament.

He has often been an unsung hero in crucial matches during his prime, but his knocks continue to remain underrated. Be it an inning he built, or a cameo that guided the team home, Raina has played every role, from a middle-order batsman to an all-rounder to a finisher and has always been a brilliant fielder. And some of it can be attributed the faith MS Dhoni had in him.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the brilliant finisher

Even though we do not see MSD finishing games off as often and as easily as he used to, he has been the best finisher in the world. Playing alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni for so many years, Raina is the right person to hear from about the first-hand experience he had with the former Indian captain who was also the brilliant finisher.

“He’s been very calm under pressure. He does (make) mistakes when the bowler thinks he is done. When the bowler thinks I have had his number, then he will start his brain. So he is way ahead of the bowler. That’s what made him so successful. I have batted with him for so many years. I have batted with him at five, six, seven, we have chased at nine, 10, 11 per over,” the left-hander was quoted as saying by First Post.

We’ve been complementing each other really well. I tell him I will hit him (a particular bowler), he will say just have a look at him first. I tell him you play the sheet anchor’s role. Then sometimes, I feel that he will go after the bowling, so at that time he will say you play your natural game and I will attack. In the 2015 World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Hamilton, we were down in the dumps at 92/4 chasing 288 but still we didn’t give up our natural game.”

I kept on attacking, he was absorbing the pressure and then he took the aggressive approach and I slowed down. So we complement each other really well. (Raina scored 110 not out and Dhoni remained unbeaten on 85). I know his nature. If I go after the bowling, he won’t stop me. When you spend so much of time on and off the field, you get a lot of confidence from your captain, teammate and most importantly, your friend. Because you know he will never misguide you,” Raina said.

What makes MS Dhoni different

Raina has known what Dhoni’s approach to the game has been whether it was for the Indian team or the Chennai Super Kings. They have been match-winners for both the sides and Raina doesn’t shy away from explaining what made Dhoni the kind of finisher he is. “He does ‘death’ overs batting practice. The ‘Helicopter’ shot, scoop and other shots. Hitting a six is not easy, you have to face a minimum of 1,000 balls and hit 700 of them. So in the match if you get three ‘six’ balls, you can convert two of them at least. There is a lot of practice involved,” said the southpaw.

Advice from Captain Cool

Success for MS Dhoni during his captaincy is often associated to how he guided the youngsters. Even today, when he is not the captain anymore, we know that the youngsters in the team, as well as Virat Kohli himself, seek advice from Dhoni.

On being asked about the best advice Dhoni gave him Raina said, “Just be yourself. Enjoy yourself. Cricket is all about enjoyment. If you don’t enjoy then stop playing. That’s what I have learnt from not only the likes of Dhoni but Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag as well. When he (Sehwag) scored a double hundred, he asked me to pad up and said, “Peheli ball se maarna hai humko.” [We have to hit from the first ball itself.] He was batting on 160, I played only one ball. You get a lot of support to play your natural game.”