Suresh Raina relishing India’s strong start to new season – Cricket News Update
Promising middle-order batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 on Monday expressed delight over his side’s victorious start to the 2012/13 season, despite coming off from a long break.
India kick started new season with a limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka. The One Day International against the Islanders at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, on July 21 was India’s first international game since March, and the Men in Blue went
on to put a massive total of 314 runs on board, before winning the match by 21 runs.
Raina said that putting up a colossal total after a lengthy off-season boosted the morale of the side.
“It was such a relief for the team to put up a big total in our first international game after over four months,” the 25-year-old left-handed batsman told media reporters on the eve of the fourth ODI against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758.
“There are always questions asked about the fitness and mental preparedness after a long break. But we answered them well," he added further.
Raina’s personal form with the bat has also been quite impressive, with two match-winning half-centuries in three matches played so far, though he failed in his side’s nine-wicket thrashing in the second one-dayer at Hambantota, on July 24.
In the previous match, at RPS Colombo on Saturday, the left-hander marshalled the side from the front at a time when the game was hanging in balance, with India needing almost 100 runs from less than 15 overs and five wickets in hand. Raina shared a 92-run
stand with all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Irfan-Pathan-c1601 to take the side home on the third-last ball of a tense chase.
“Irfan bhai proved once again that he is more than a handy batsman down the order and he, too, deserves accolades,” said the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Uttar-Pradesh-c858 middle-order batsman, who scored 65 not out.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 Currently lead the three-ODI series 2-1, and the left-hander also vowed to clinch the series with a victory in the fourth one-dayer, at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Tuesday.
“It was good that we came back strongly on Saturday night. We will aim to clinch the series in the fourth game on Tuesday,” said Raina on the eve of the match.
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