Before he boards the flight to Australia to join the Indian team for the T20I series, Suresh Raina is keen to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for his state side, Uttar Pradesh. As captain the side, he was pleased with the team’s performances as they not only continued their unbeaten streak in the competition but also beat defending champions Gujarat in the second match of the Super League phase.
Asked about the aggressive approach in the T20 format, Raina said, “Twenty20 cricket is all about the intent; it is about how you think on the field. It is very important to think positively for all 40 overs, whether you are batting, or fielding or captaining the side and when you do that, definitely results will follow you. You need to calmly handle everything. That’s what I learned from MS (Dhoni) and from senior players in the Indian team. Captain is a title, (but) all the other ten players who are on the field also know what to do. It is important to know your strengths and do what needs to be done.”
Discussing the win against Gujarat, who have also been in good form, Raina said, “It was an emotional game as RP (Singh, former UP player) was on the other side (Gujarat) and he knows everyone inside out. (Also) Gujarat have been in good form as well and we knew that we have to play really well (to beat them).”
Speaking about the team’s performance in the tournament so far, Raina lauded the team’s discipline and work ethic as few of the players hit the nets at the ground in BKC after a convincing win. “We have just won the game and everyone is there for the practice. That shows how keen they are to do well in this format. Also, we have done really well in last two-three months. We have some good youngsters in the team.”
He went on to appreciate the efforts of his team and mentioned, “I think we did well. Samarth (Singh) batted really well. Kuldeep Yadav bowled well, Piyush (Chawla) has been outstanding (in the matches), and ED (Eklavya Dwivedi) too and there are others, who have been doing well. It is important that they do well in the coming games.”
Speaking about Praveen Kumar who has given the team wickets upfront across formats and guided the bowling attack, Raina said, “He has done well for the team. He enjoys his game. He wants to do really well with every delivery. He has done well throughout (the season). He has bowled 15-over spells in Ranji Trophy and is motivating everyone. He is a coach in the team, who is motivating the bowlers. So bowling along with him, (guys like) Ankit (Rajpoot) and Amit (Mishra) and others are doing well too. The responsibility of a senior player, like what Zaheer bhai (Khan) used to do for the team (India team), he performs that role and it is great.
“I am also enjoying my cricket,” he stated while adding, “We have a very hardworking team and play freely. Discipline is important in your cricket and we have that in our team. One has to look to be positive and work hard. There are still two games to go and we hope to do well against Delhi in the next game.”
