No problem in facing short deliveries claims Suresh Raina – Cricket News Update
The classy Indian batsman, Suresh Raina, has claimed to have overcome his difficulties against short-pitched deliveries, as was evident by how he played the bouncers confidently in the first innings of ongoing Test against West Indies at Kingston.
Raina emerged as the top scorer in the first innings, smashing a thrilling knock of 82 including 15 lovely boundaries.
India’s score was 85 for the loss of six wickets when the 24-year-old batsman took the responsibility on his shoulders and steered his side to reach a decent total of 246.
Raina and Harbhajan Singh shared an excellent 146-run partnership for the seventh wicket which eventually helped the tourists come back into the match after being hammered by the Windies.
Raina counter-attacked the Caribbean bowlers brilliantly and hit the pacers stylishly all around the ground. The Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer described that he went out to the crease with a plan to bat positively, explaining that the tips from the senior
players helped him to play bouncers with poise.
“My plan was to play straight; keep my mind clear and look to be patient. God has been kind to me,” said Raina.
The left-hander, who led the Men in Blue to a comprehensive 3-2 win in the One Day International (ODI) series against the Windies, came into the Tests after failing to make an impression with the bat in the 50-over matches.
In five ODIs, he collected just 82 runs at an average of just 20 and a half. After demonstrating a not-so-impressive show in the ODIs, Raina spent some time in the nets with the coach, Duncan Fletcher, in order to iron out the flaws in his batting technique
against the pacemen.
Commenting on his team’s chances in the first Test, Raina uttered that despite failing to achieve a desired total in the first innings, the visitors are in a decent position to win the game since it will be tough for the hosts to score against India's top-quality
spin attack.
"It will turn more, especially in the fourth innings. A couple of their batsmen don't know how to play spin bowling. It won't be easy for them,” shared the stylish stroke-maker.