2007 World Cup changed MS Dhoni as a person, reveals Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has revealed that MS Dhoni had undergone a tough metamorphosis after the 2007 World Cup and that changed him as a person. Raina has revealed an incident of how MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid played a big part in instilling belief in him after he was dismissed for a duck on his ODI debut.
One of the darkest chapters in Indian cricket, 2007 World Cup in West Indies remains to this date a tale of what could have been after India lost their league stage matches to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to bow out in the first stage. The violence that followed the tournament with many fans pelting stones to the cricketers’ house and subsequently burning the posters.
Dhoni was deeply hurt by the sentiments and avoided media at all cost, while remaining an unpredictable character throughout his career. Suresh Raina, who retired from international cricket on the same day as MS Dhoni, stated that the particular tournament changed Dhoni as a person while adding how they bonded so well over the years.
"He really really learnt a lot in the 2007 (50-over) World Cup. That tournament changed him as a person. It just went on to show how serious he was. He always felt you can keep winning but you learn a lot from the losses. He's a tough guy," Raina said on Cricbuzz in Conversation.
"I spent a lot of time with MS in 2003-04, we used to have camps in Bangalore. He always knew who I am as a person. We come from a place where we make things very simple. That's why when we got to represent our country, I really felt he was the guy who could change the game. I had a word with him, he also changed a lot of things about my game, my career, my family and my whole approach. The year 2007 was very tough when I had my operation. That changed my life, that really made me tough and made me a better cricketer.”
On his ODI debut 15 years ago, in July 2005, Raina bagged a golden duck against Sri Lanka and the world seemed to be a difficult place for him. A star on the junior circuit and a prolific run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy, Raina had it in him to be successful but that was a difficult day. It was then Dhoni and Dravid came up to him to have a word, which gave him the energy to carry on without much thought.
"When I got out for zero in Dambulla, I was talking to Irfan and Dhoni bhai. And he (dhoni) said 'why are you sad?' because I was able to say whatever I wanted to. But when Rahul bhai came in, he asked 'What happened to you?' I said 'nothing Rahul bhai, just sad'. He said 'No, it's fine. When you play the next game you might still get out for zero again. And when you play next, you might get out for zero again.' I said 'yeah but I am just sad and disappointed that I got a chance to play for my country and I got out. My whole family is watching, friends are watching.'
"Then he said 'No I heard you're a good fielder, just show me something.' Then I thought I was part of the team, he wants me to do something special for the country. Then I ran Atapattu out, then Zaheer bhai came up to me, Rahul bhai came up and said I belong here, I belong to the team so let's work harder, execute our skills and enjoy the process. I think that really made me believe that I can play for a longer period," Raina concluded.
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