Suresh Raina Opens Up On MS Dhoni's Finishing Abilities

Suresh Raina‘s career has taken an unexpected turn. Just a couple of years ago, he was an indispensable part of the limited-overs team and nobody would have thought that the hard-hitting middle-order batsman would find himself out of the team for about more than a year.

However, consistent failures with the bat saw him getting dropped from the ODI team in 2015 and the 30-year-old is still waiting for a call from the selectors. His last ODI appearance had come way back in October 2015 during the five-match series against South Africa when he scored three single-digit scores.

He was recalled for the ODI series against New Zealand in October last year but did not play a single game due to illness. However, he was handed a lifeline when he was recalled for the T20 series against England earlier this year and the southpaw fully capitalised on it by finishing the three-match series as its third highest run-getter with 104 runs.

He continued his impressive form in the IPL too, scoring 442 runs in 14 matches but could not get a place in the Champions Trophy squad. And the Uttar Pradesh star is now spending his time with his family, far away from the hustle and bustle of international cricket. Recently in an interview, the left-handed batsman shed some light on his partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni with whom he spent a very fruitful time in the Chennai Super Kings jersey. Raina spoke on various topics ranging from what makes Dhoni such a brilliant finisher, what he learnt from India’s most decorated skipper and much more.

Excerpts:

On what makes Dhoni such a terrific finisher:

“He’s been very calm under pressure. He does (make) mistakes when the bowler thinks he is done. When the bowler thinks I have had his number, then he will start his brain. So he is way ahead of the bowler. That’s what made him so successful. I have batted with him for so many years. I have batted with him at five, six, seven, we have chased at nine, 10, 11 per over, Raina told  First Post.

On his partnership with Dhoni:

“We’ve been complementing each other really well. I tell him I will hit him (a particular bowler), he will say just have a look at him first. I tell him you play the sheet anchor’s role. Then sometimes, I feel that he will go after the bowling, so at that time he will say you play your natural game and I will attack. In the 2015 World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Hamilton, we were down in the dumps at 92/4 chasing 288 but still we didn’t give up our natural game,” he said.

“I kept on attacking, he was absorbing the pressure and then he took the aggressive approach and I slowed down. So we complement each other really well. (Raina scored 110 not out and Dhoni remained unbeaten on 85). I know his nature. If I go after the bowling, he won’t stop me. When you spend so much of time on and off the field, you get a lot of confidence from your captain, teammate and most importantly, your friend. Because you know he will never misguide you,” he added.

On what makes MS Dhoni different

“He does ‘death’ overs batting practice. The ‘Helicopter’ shot, scoop and other shots. Hitting a six is not easy, you have to face a minimum of 1,000 balls and hit 700 of them. So in the match if you get three ‘six’ balls, you can convert two of them at least. There is a lot of practice involved,” he explained.

On what he learnt from Dhoni:

“Just be yourself. Enjoy yourself. Cricket is all about enjoyment. If you don’t enjoy then stop playing. That’s what I have learnt from not only the likes of Dhoni but Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag as well. When he (Sehwag) scored a double hundred, he asked me to pad up and said, “Peheli ball se maarna hai humko.” [We have to hit from the first ball itself.] He was batting on 160, I played only one ball. You get a lot of support to play your natural game.”