Suresh Raina fully prepared for the series against South Africa

Raina is fully prepared for the series against South Africa

Suresh Raina said that he is fully prepared for the series against South Africa, BCCI.TV reports. He also expressed delight at getting the opportunity to play in the India A team coached by Rahul Dravid and talked about the special bond he shares with ODI skipper MS Dhoni.

Raina’s last match for the national side was way back in June when he featured in the shock ODI series loss against Bangladesh. He was rested for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe and was not part of the Test squad that beat Sri Lanka recently.

Raina revealed how time away from the rigours of international cricket has helped him prepare mentally and physically for the upcoming series against South Africa.

“I spent quality time with my wife and in-laws. I was in a relaxed mode and at the same time was focused on my game and fitness. I practised with the Dutch cricket team in Amsterdam at their camp and faced a lot of quality bowlers in the nets. I spent a lot of time polishing my fielding skills – taking catches at point. I also did meditation and yoga, a lot of running in the park and cycling,” Raina said.

“The kind of routine I had there helped me stay relaxed mentally and active physically. I spent a lot of time with the Dutch team, going to barbeques, playing football and hockey. It was a crucial break for me because, after my marriage, I had hardly got to spend any time with my wife. It makes a lot of difference; puts you in a happy mental space.”

“I am lucky that Priyanka leads a very active lifestyle herself. She would wake me up in the morning and say, ‘let’s go to the gym’ or ‘let’s go cycling or a run’. Having that motivation from your partner makes the workouts more fun.”

“As I relaxed, I also started to think clearly about my game. I recalled all the time spent with my teammates and all the victories we celebrated. That has made me hungry to go back on the field and play. I am well and truly prepared to face South Africa.”

The series against Sri Lanka saw the batting order being shuffled around a lot. Raina acknowledges it is a possibility in the limited-overs formats as well but is more than ready to meet the challenge.

“True. This is a challenging time. Many batsmen will not get their favourite batting positions in the time to come. We saw that in the Sri Lanka Test series as well. But the boys don’t mind it because the culture of the current team is moulded in such a way that personal milestones are no more important. It is the end result in the favour of the team that counts.”

“If a batsman gets 15 runs off five balls and it helps take the scoreboard pressure off, his contribution will be appreciated in this team. Ravi (Shastri) bhai is very smart in this regard,” Raina said.

Raina delighted with chance to work under Dravid

Raina praised Dravid for his dedication to the game

Raina geared up for the series against the Proteas by scoring a match-winning century in the deciding one-dayer between India A and Bangladesh A that swung the series in way of the hosts. The middle order batsman talked about his delight at getting some much-needed match practice.

“I am thankful to the BCCI and the selectors for picking me to play in this series. I have done a lot of batting in the nets in the last two months, in Noida, Meerut (in Uttar Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy camp) and Netherlands, but could not get a lot of match practice. After all this training, what I really needed was some match practice before going into the South Africa series. These three one-day games were perfect for that. Getting a century in the last match was crucial for me in getting my batting rhythm,” he said.

Even more fruitful for Raina was the chance he got to interact with batting legend and now coach of the India A side, Rahul Dravid.

“The best thing about playing the ‘A’ series was that I got a chance to interact with Rahul Dravid on my batting and mindset. I have played under him, got my ODI and Test caps from him and he has seen me very closely for years. Most of my conversations with him were about the mental aspect of the game,” he said.

“He was very keen to get the best out of all the boys. His involvement was unbelievable. He was always there, giving catches, talking to players and offering valuable insights on skill and technique. After watching him play for all these years and playing with him, when I saw him as a coach, I saw that nothing has changed. The dedication is intact as ever and he still works really hard in the gym on his fitness.”

Raina talks about his position in the ODI side

Raina said that Dhoni knows his game inside out

Indian ODI skipper MS Dhoni revealed during the series against Bangladesh that he was planning to come in at No 4 regularly meaning Raina will be pushed down to the No 5 or No 6 spot. The 28-year-old, however, doesn‘t see it as a demotion and instead sees it as added responsibility.

“No.5 and 6 are not easy positions to bat at. You go out there and have to score 15 runs in five balls or 50 in 20 balls. At home I might not get a chance to bat, might get 10-15 overs or only 10 balls. But I am prepared for it. I know what my role is. I have batted everywhere except the opening positions, so I know how to bat where. I enjoy that responsibility,” Raina said.

He is also looking forward to meeting the ‘finishing’ role assigned to him in ODIs and is more than happy to help out whoever he is batting with.

“Yes. It is a position that comes with a lot of pressure. You don’t get regular chances to bat long and even then if you don’t score big in three games, there is pressure from everywhere. I know how it feels. At the beginning of my career, I did more fielding than batting. You should learn how to cope with that and at the same time go and hit sixes when your chance finally comes. There is a lot of risk management involved in this role. Whoever we groom for the role from now on, I will do my best to help him cope with these aspects,” he said.

Raina also talked about the special bond he shares with Dhoni.

“MS knows my game inside out and I would be happy to play whatever role he deems is right for me. Also, if MS decides to bat at 4 regularly, it will only benefit the team. It will make life easier for the batsmen to follow. He can build the innings with the top-order and accelerate with the lower-middle order,” Raina said.