Indian Captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 Bats for Struggling Suresh Raina
Indian captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni is confident that his teammate Suresh Raina would get through his bad patch and start scoring big runs at the highest level again.
Raina had a wretched series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 and Dhoni feels that the left-handed batting talent needs some rest to rejuvenate himself and rekindle the fire in him.
He added that the time was rife for a small break for Raina, and his captain wants him to go away from the game and take a breather for the tour of South Africa.
"If he doesn't get a break in the ODI series [after the first 2 games] then you have to [replace him]," Dhoni said. "He is at a point where he needs a break from cricket.
"A 10 to 15-day break will really help him. He has played as much cricket as I have or most of other cricketers. He has played one more series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045. At times international cricket really drains you.
More than the physical part it's always that mental part that is important. Unfortunately, most of the senior players are missing from the ODI series which means he had to play."
However, the task is not that simple yet for Raina as he has to take centre stage in the first two ODIs which would not include some of the leading players in the Indian line-up.
The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 in
a five-match series.
Raina has to perform and show Dhoni and the rest of the think-tank that he is ready for the upcoming international assignments. He has to regain the touch that made him one of the most feared players in the
Indian line-up, especially in the ODI and T20 formats.
Dhoni, on the other hand, refused to answer when asked why the left-hander was not rested from the ODI series as he has played as much cricket as the rest of the Indian squad in recent months.
"I have said more than physical it's the mental thing. Physically he is not suffering. Once you start doing well in the Test, especially if you are part of the Indian team, the pressure of performance is
always there on you every time you turn up on the field. You have to keep performing and being the leading fielder, it means you have to keep yourself very active in the field. It’s very tiring. We have to keep that in the mind."
Other than the Raina slump, the Indian squad is shaping well for the 2011 World Cup; yet before the flagship ICC event, they have to take on the rampant South Africans in their own backyard in a Test and
ODI series.
The series is already being dubbed as one of the most important for the Indians in recent years which mean that the Indians would be under intense pressure against the formidable Proteas in their own grounds.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is yet to win a Test series in South Africa and they would once again be pushed to the extremes once the battle begins in a fortnight’s time.
A setback against the Proteas can throw them off the World Cup hence it is important that they keep performing to the best of their ability before the commencement of the biggest tournament in ODI cricket.
The Indian fans have pinned their hopes on Dhoni and his team for both http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 and a World Cup win; the pressure would double up once the tournament starts and the Indians start playing their matches
in front of sold-out crowds across the country.
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