Ravi Shastri: Suresh Raina went out there and batted as if he was never out of the side

Ravi Shastri: Suresh Raina went out there and batted as if he was never out of the side

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Ravi Shastri was all praise for Suresh Raina, who made his comeback to the national team after a gap of one year after being overlooked by selectors. Raina produced a stunning performance that included a brilliant 43 off 27 balls while also claiming one wicket to help India win the T20 series 2-1.

After a stunning win against the Proteas in the six-match ODI series, the Indians were looking to continue to their dominance in the three-match T20I series as well. After two matches in the series, the visitors found themselves tied at 1-1, which made the last T20I a must-win match for both sides.

Things also looked bleak with Virat Kohli out of the side with a stiff back for the final T20I when all-rounder Suresh Raina stood up, who was making his return to the national setup after almost a year. But one could have never guessed that after his performance on the field, both with the bat and the ball, helped the Indian team beat South Africa and clinch the series 2-1.

India cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri lauded Raina's display in the Rainbow nation as he labelled the 31-year old cricketer as ‘fearless’.

"He's vastly experienced and he showed what experience can do. What I liked the best was he was fearless. What I liked was the intent because normally when you come back into a side after a long period of time you can be playing for your place. And that can put added pressure on you. But he went out there as if he was never out of the side and batted in that fashion. It was very good to see," Shastri told India Today.

Raina scored a brilliant 43 off 27 balls and also claimed one wicket in the last T20I to help India break the hosts. In the three T20Is that he played in South Africa, Raina scored 89 runs at a strike rate of 153.44, which included 12 boundaries and 2 sixes.

"I always play for the team and if we are winning trophies, individual performances will look after themselves. Whatever opportunity I get I look to play my natural game. I enjoy the team support and it helps improve my game," Raina said to PTI sources.

Raina has been named in the 15-man squad to play the Nidahas Trophy against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh which is set to begin on March 6. The veteran cricketer is looking at this chance as a way to get back into the ODI team ahead of the long-awaited 2019 ICC World Cup.

"It is important to win a trophy first and important to go out there as a team mindset. If you see the top order, they are all batting well. When you come to the middle order, MS (Dhoni) is there and Manish (Pandey) is also doing a good job,"

"So we will see where I can fit in. There are a lot of matches coming up now. Winning games is more important than being which format I am playing or not. Every Indian game is very important for me right now," Raina added.

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