There is no pressure on us, says stand-in Indian skipper Suresh Raina before Bangladesh tour

Stand-in skipper Suresh Raina has said that there’s no pressure on the young Indian team for Bangladesh tour

Stand-in Indian skipper Suresh Raina, leading the side for a 3-match ODI series against Bangladesh, has said that there is no pressure on the new look Indian squad.

Raina has been appointed captain for the tour as MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are being rested, along with a host of other experienced members of the side before the hectic season ahead. India has sent a young team to Bangladesh and Raina seems to be in confident mood.

Talking to The Telegraph after landing in Kolkata on Thursday evening, Raina said, “Koi pressure nahin... Enjoy karenge...(no pressure, we wll enjoy) It’s an excellent opportunity for all the players.”

“I intend doing a bit of gym,” he said after his delayed flight from New Zealand and getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way from the airport. Raina also said that he intends to meet Sourav Ganguly while in the city. The ex-Indian skipper helped Raina prior to World T20, working on his batting.

The southpaw will be leading a side which has IPL talents like Akshar Patel, who got a call up after an impressive show in the T20 league, and Robin Uthappa, the 28-year-old who’s making a comeback after a scintillating domestic season.

Interestingly, Raina didn’t feature in Asia Cup squad for India, but was a part of the World T20 side where he was impressive. He hit a purple patch in this IPL season, scoring 523 runs in 16 matches for Chennai Super Kings. His best came in CSK’s last match – the eliminator against Kings XI Punjab – where chasing a 200+ target, Raina hit 87 off just 25 balls at Wankhede Stadium, albeit for a losing cause. He’d be hoping to continue his good run against Bangladesh.

After the IPL commitments, Raina took a much needed break and headed north with his family. “We travelled across Kashmir and even visited the LOC... I needed time off and it has refreshed me.”

On the secret for success the ODIs, the 27-year-old belives success lies in the attitude. “Playing with commitment, being disciplined and playing with passion... Josh rehna zaroori hai,” he said.

Raina has captained the side twice earlier – once for a tri-series in Zimbabwe in 2010, and then in 2011 against West Indies in the Caribbean. He said he’s “looking forward” to working closely with coach Duncan Fletcher, who started his stint with India in that 2011 India-West Indies series which Raina captained.