Suresh Raina credits Sachin Tendulkar's calmness for Team India's 2011 World Cup victory
Suresh Raina, who spent a considerable amount of time playing alongside both Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, has stated that he’s glad to have worked with both the greats and asserted that both of them are special in their own way. Raina further compared Sachin’s outlook to that of Lionel Messi.
Having made his international debut at just the tender age of 19, Suresh Raina walked into an Indian team that had giants such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Within three years of his debut, the Uttar Pradesh batsman cemented his place in the side as a regular and towards the mid-way point of his career, saw a flurry of youngsters break into the national side, with Virat Kohli being one of them.Â
Raina, who was a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad alongside both Sachin and Kohli, spoke about the contrasting nature of both the cricketing legends and stated that their unique personalities made each player great in their own way. Speaking about the duo, the CSK man said that he was grateful to have played alongside both the stalwarts of the sport.
“Sachin and Virat, they both score a lot of hundreds, Virat wants to win every game. And Sachin wants to make sure everything is very calm,” Raina was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.Â
“With Sachin, it’s always about his calmness. It was because of Sachin that we won the World Cup. He was the guy who made everyone in the team believe that we can do that, He was like the second coach in the team."
"And Virat, he has been amazing in all formats. He has been a very good captain. He has been hitting the ball very well. He is very fit, very positive and he has the aura around him. I am glad I have played with both of them.”
The 33-year-old, who has featured in over 300 international games for the country, further went on to compare Sachin with Lionel Messi and stated that the duo’s humility set them apart from the rest. The CSK man, who last featured in a game for India two years ago, emphasized the need to stay humble and grateful.
“I am a big fan of Messi. He is so down to earth, Both Sachin and Messi are very good when it comes to taking care of people around them because in sports you need to be really humble,” he said.
“You may be the number one player in the world, but your legacy is very important, You need to show gratitude to everyone.”