Suresh Raina Reveals The Indian Player He Idolizes

Suresh Raina has revealed he idolizes the legendary Rahul Dravid. Raina had made his debut under Dravid’s captaincy in 2005 and had gone on to become an integral part of the team.

The southpaw said the former India skipper is like an elder brother to him . He went on to reveal how Dravid heloed him adapt to the new lifestyle.

“I have always idolized Rahul Dravid. He was my first captain and he has always been an elder brother to me. Hum log thay UP waale desi ekdum. Pata nahi tha kaise khana hai, cutlery kaise use karni hai. Bass yeh pata tha ki ball ko maarna kaise hai. Unse milne ke baad ek saleeka aaya, ek tehzeeb aayi. Dravid showed the way to lead life and the attitude that a player should have. Rahul bhai supported me a lot,” he told The Times of India.

Raina went on reveal an anecdote when Dravid motivated him to do well in fielding after he had failed with the bat.

“I remember that at one of the matches where I couldn’t score any runs, I was sitting with Irfan (Pathan) and he was eating and I told him ‘pata nahi kal ka match khelenge ya nahi.’ Rahul bhai told us that it was the time when we should show our strength in fielding. I think that day I really performed well in the later half of the game. Do-teen players out karein maine. Agar koi Rahul bhai ki tarah motivate kare toh hum toh aise hai ki apni jaan bhi de de,” he added.

Raina recently returned to the Indian team after a one-year gap. The southpaw played in the first T20I against South Africa.

The left-handed batsman has not played in One-Day Internationals since October 2015. He was recalled for the ODI series against New Zealand in 2016 but did not play a single game due to illness.

Back in the national team now, Raina further said that he is keen to change the perception of the naysayers.

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