Suresh Raina hopeful of making a return to Indian limited-overs team
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder, Suresh Raina, who finds himself ousted from the Indian limited-overs team is hopeful of getting back into the team ahead of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup. Raina last played for India in July last year in the ODI series loss against England away from home.
At one point in time, one could not imagine the Indian team step onto the pitch without two players - MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. The two Chennai Super Kings teammates had formed a strong bond between them and displayed that time and again with the national side. However, with the coming of age, both these players have seen a steady decline in their form.
While Dhoni continues to strive hard to keep his spot in the Indian batting line-up, the same could not be said for Raina. The CSK all-rounder revealed that he was disappointed with being ousted from the national team but is still not ruling out the outside chance of him making the World Cup squad.
"Definitely. I was surely not expecting to be dropped because I got limited matches to play and during those matches, I did fairly well. But you know, you canāt really blame anyone for these things. I work hard, focus on my form & fitness every day. I am continuing to do my job.
"I have always given my best to the team I play for, be it national, domestic or IPL. And, Iāll continue to do so during any upcoming matches too, irrespective of the circumstance. But yes, who wouldnāt want to lift the World Cup twice," Raina told TimesNow.
Raina, who has played a total of 226 matches and scored for 5615 runs, also spoke about upcoming Indian Premier League season with defending champions, Chennai Super Kings. Raina scored a total of 445 runs last year as Dhoni-led Chennai won the 11th edition of the competition.
"Going good, looking forward to the games. I have been focusing on my fitness and also spending quite some time at the nets for practice sessions.
"I think CSK has a strong ability to work as a team. We can hold on to long and solid partnerships. Also, we have cricketers with varied talents and that has worked in our favour; we've been able to adapt to each other's cricketing styles pretty well. Having said that, MS Dhoni, has, of course, played an integral part in CSKās journey to success, with his strategies & ability to stay calm under pressure," Raina added.
Cricket FootBall Kabaddi
Basketball Hockey
SportsCafe
