India’s embarrassing series loss in England might have cost them their No.1 status in Tests and a lot of pride. But Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina is eager to get their own back against the English.
“We are very excited. We have done well in the last year or so. We have a young team and the players performed well though we lost the series in England. At home, it's going to be a great experience. We will show England what we are at home.” Raina told The Times of India.
The series in England brought the Indian team back down to Earth after reaching stratospheric highs in the recent past. And Raina tries to explain what went wrong in that series.
“Rain contributed a lot but as professional you can't complain much. We have to look at our mistakes rather than passing the blame. There were quite a few seniors who missed the ODI series in England, but the youngsters displayed great strength of character to counter England. If you see the results of all the matches, all of them were close games.” he revealed.
With a sense of cricket overkill gripping most fans and cricketers, Raina reveals how he manages to motivate himself.
“We follow the fitness regime set by the team. I do my meditation everyday. It really helps. You have to tell yourself that you have to score big today. Only then it will happen in reality. You also need to look at your diet and sleeping habit. The best bit is to know when to switch on and off. I am grateful to Gary Kirsten and Paddy Upton for helping me evolve better as a cricketer.”
The No.1 Test spot was whisked away from the Indians by the English. But Raina believes the team has enough talent and commitment to become the best team in Test cricket once again.
“Look at the achievements of our team in the last three years. We were the No. 1 in the world and also won the World Cup. England series was bad for the team, but we have the talent and passion to be No. 1 again.” he opined.
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