Harbhajan Singh Opens Up On Suresh Raina's World Cup Chances
Suresh Raina (Credits: Getty)

Out-of-favour batsman Suresh Raina recently expressed his desire of playing in the upcoming World Cup. An important member of the team that won the title in 2011 and made it to the semifinal four years later, Raina has fallen down the pecking order in the last two years or so.

The selectors handed him a lifeline by naming him as Ambati Rayudu’s replacement for the England series after the former failed to clear the yo-yo test. However, Raina just could not grab the opportunities. He managed to score just 47 runs in the three-match series and was immediately dropped. He is yet to receive a recall from the ODI team or the T20I team and with Rayudu doing extremely well in ODIs and the likes of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik impressing in T20Is, Raina’s hopes of returning to the team looks as good as over now.

Harbhajan Singh Opens Up On Suresh Raina's World Cup Chances
Suresh Raina (Credits: BCCI)

However, ahead of the twelfth season of the IPL, the southpaw said he is still harbouring hopes of making it to the World Cup.

” I have always given my best to the team I play for, be it national, domestic or IPL. And, I’ll continue to do so during any upcoming matches too, irrespective of the circumstance. But yes, who wouldn’t want to lift the World Cup twice,” he told Times Now.

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However, veteran spinner and Raina’s IPL teammate Harbhajan Singh feels his chances of returning to the team looks all but over.

Harbhajan Singh Opens Up On Suresh Raina's World Cup Chances
Suresh Raina (Credits: BCCI)

The World Cup-winning spinner said that the Indian team is likely to field the same squad in the World Cup that has been named for the Australia series. He said that even if Raina plays ‘amazingly well’ in the IPL, he is unlikely to be picked in the team.

“I don’t think there will be changes in the Indian team for the World Cup even if someone plays amazingly well in the IPL, be it Suresh Raina or any youngster. I don’t think the 15-man squad will change, unless there are injuries or so. BCCI is also looking at the squad in the manner of who to rest and how during the IPL, so the squad is more or less locked,” Harbhajan Singh told India Today.

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