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 Suresh
Raina is a promising left-handed batsman coming from Uttar
Pradesh in India. This immensely talented batsman was a part of
the India Under-19 team during the World Cup in 2004. Also known
as Sanu, this 18 year old scored a quick-fire 90 of just 38
balls against Scotland earlier this year. With his maiden First
Class century coming against Andhra last season and some notable
performances in this year's Ranji Trophy, Suresh Raina seems an
interesting prospect to look out for in the near future.
Cricketfundas.com's Ashwat Ramani caught up
with Suresh Raina on the 14th of December for an exclusive
Interview.
Suresh,
tell us about your early days in Cricket. How did you start
playing Cricket?
My cricket started in 1999 at the sports
college in Lucknow. My coach was Deepak Sharma Sir, who was from
NIS, Patiala. He always supported me from the beginning. He used
to help me with my batting and also work on my fitness. Normally
players from the hostels don’t give much importance to their
fitness, but my case was different thanks to my coach. He helped
me focus a lot on my batting and bowling which worked out really
well for me in the future. I was the captain of the Under-16
Uttar Pradesh team. Then I was also selected for the Indian
Under-19 team very recently. So to sum it up, it has been a
really good experience for me till now.
You were
a part of the India Under-19 team which played the World Cup at
Dhaka in February-March. So how was that experience?
The Under-19 World Cup was a
tremendous experience for me. In the end we lost the semis
against Pakistan which was very sad for us. We had won around
six matches till the semi-finals and the boys had really played
well throughout the tournament. Gaurav Dhiman and RP Singh
bowled very well; Shikhar Dhawan was in ominous form throughout
the tournament. After the World Cup, I along with Shikhar and
Venugopal Rao attended a camp in Australia which was really
helpful for us.
You
scored a quick-fire 90 runs against Scotland of just 38 balls in
that World Cup. How did it feel during that time?
Yeah that was a good match
for me as far as my batting is concerned. I had spent a lot of
time in the nets prior to that match. The situation demanded me
to play my natural game and I just did that. The opposition
bowlers were quite weak so I took advantage of that fact and
attacked them. We also made the highest total of 426 in that
World Cup. I enjoyed my batting in that tournament.
Which was
your most memorable match in that tournament?
My most memorable match in
the Tournament was the one against West Indies where I scored 66
runs in a tough situation along with Dinesh Karthik who batted
really well in that match. Again during our bowling, I chipped
in with 2 wickets and was also awarded the Man of the Match.
How much
importance does Suresh Raina give to his bowling apart from
batting?
Yes, I do concentrate on my
bowling; I bowl right arm off-breaks. When I toured Sri Lanka as
a part of the Under-17 team, I had worked a lot on my bowling.
Our coach Prasanna gave me some important tips to improve my
bowling. He helped me during the World Cup and also in the Ranji
Trophy. So it was a good experience learning from him.
You also
played 3 Tests against England Under-19 in England in 2002. How
good an experience was that?
Yes, that was the first time
that I was traveling abroad to play a game. For a batsman,
scoring runs abroad is always a challenge. I scored around 170
runs in 3 Tests with a highest score of 72. We had a good team,
so it was quite a good experience out there in England.
What are
your future plans for this year's Ranji Trophy?
Right now, I think I am
doing fine. I am trying hard to better my performances every
match. Last week, I scored an unbeaten 89 against Assam and we
won that match. So I want to do well, which will help me improve
my batting as well as the team’s performance. Even today, I was
playing well on 49 but got out to a really good ball from NP
Singh. I’ll make sure that I don’t repeat the same mistakes and
do well in the future. I want to perform well for my team in the
Ranji Trophy and also the Under-19 team so that I get selected
to play for India in the future.
You
represent Air India in the Times Shield in Mumbai? How
competitive is club cricket in Mumbai?
Yeah, I play for Air India
in the Times Shield Trophy. I scored a double century in my
debut match over there, and then followed it up with another
century against TATA. So that was quite a good experience. The
teams are quite competitive and we don’t get to play many 4 day
matches in the Under-19 level, so club cricket gives us a lot of
exposure. Our coach is a former Indian Player Pravin Amre and he
helped me a lot in my batting, bowling and my fitness. Our
captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar who has also played for India, has
also been very helpful.
Who have
been the most toughest bowlers you've faced till now?
I think the toughest bowlers
whom I have faced are the Aussies, namely McGrath, Gillespie and
Brett Lee. These bowlers are really accurate and have an
immaculate line every ball they bowl. You have to concentrate a
lot while facing bowlers of such high caliber. I just got to
play just around 10-12 balls from each bowler, but even then it
was quite a good experience.
When can
we expect Suresh Raina in the Indian Team?
I am trying hard and will
continue doing that, remaining is in the hands of the Almighty.
I just hope that everything goes well with me and I play for
India in the near future.
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