Having led the Gujarat Lions to the playoffs of IPL 9 in what was the Rajkot-based franchise's very first season, Suresh Raina is definitely on a high in both the professional and personal fronts of his life. After getting married last year, the charismatic Indian left-handed batsman had announced the birth of his baby girl, Gracia on Twitter earlier in May.
“It is a good feeling. God has been kind. Everything has gone smoothly,” Suresh Raina told DNA India. “Gracia is the biggest gift. Lakshmi aayi hai ghar main (Lakshmi has come in our house). We will have a get-together at home after she returns from Holland. I will bring her to India after eight weeks. I am flying to Holland to be with my wife and daughter,” the 29-year-old added.
Raina who had made his debut for the 'Men in Blue’ back in 2005 has gone on to score 5,568 runs for India in One Day Internationals. He was also an indispensable member of the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian squad along with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
Also read: IPL 2016: Suresh Raina believes match-winners make Gujarat Lions exciting
The Gujarat Lions skipper was all praises for the current poster boy of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli. “He (Virat Kohli) has a different mindset. He is batting the same way he does in ODIs, T20s or Tests. He knows how to make runs. Every batsman should learn from him on how to bat at No. 3 and get (a) lot of big hundreds, runs in shorter formats and also while chasing,” he told.
“I am confident he will continue the same way for India and win us the games,” he added.
Suresh Raina claims to be completely aware of MS Dhoni's thought process
The 29-year-old is also believed to be very close to Dhoni with whom he had not only shared the Indian dressing room but also that of the Chennai Super Kings in the first eight editions of the Indian Premier League. “We played together for the Indian team, spent a lot of time together. I have always stood at slip with him, Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman. I know what sort of planning he does from behind the wickets, what sort of talking he does, how he motivates the players.”
When asked about his future plans, Raina said, “I will spend some time with my family. I have three or four months. I'll work hard on my game and spend time with my wife and daughter.”
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