Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Unfazed by the Test debacle as he was not a part of the team,Indian middle-order batsman Suresh Raina today said his side will play some 8220;different cricket8221; to give a better account of itself in the shorter formats starting with a T20 match against Australia on Wednesday.
India lost the Test series 0-4 but Raina said the squad for T20s and ODI tri-series,also featuring Sri Lanka,will deliver better performances.
8220;We won the ODI series here last time. We have also won the World Cup. We won other series too. It8217;s the same set of players largely. You would see different cricket from India,8221; said Raina.
India8217;s disappointing show in the Test series would have little effect on a largely young team in coloured clothing and Raina took pains to stress the point.
8220;Test matches were different. I was not part of it but what I watched,Australians played better cricket. They executed their plans well,bowled well,bowled in good areas. Unfortunately,we didn8217;t bat well in pair. Hopefully,we will do well in next series.8221;
Raina8217;s confidence stems from the fact that most of the youngsters,including himself,have prepared well for the forthcoming series.
8220;The youngsters have done well in the last couple of months. So we hope for the best. There are a lot of youngsters who have come from India. They have played good first-class cricket and done very well at home. I played three four domestic matches and got a double century,8221; he said.
Raina believes the present tour would be useful for the youngsters as the next world cup,in 2015,is scheduled in Australia and New Zealand.
8220;We will play 2015 world cup in Australia and New Zealand and the same youngsters would benefit a great deal,8221; Raina said.
Raina said Australia should watch out for the young Indians and not bloat on their Test success too much.
8220;We would play good cricket against Australia and Sri Lanka. It would be good if we can keep our intensity up. The boys are motivated. Unfortunately,we didn8217;t do well in Test but are passionate to do well in the forthcoming one-day series.
8220;T20 would be lot different from Tests. We beat Australia in quarter-finals in the World Cup and also are world champions,8221; he said.
Raina has scored 3250 runs from 134 ODI matches at 34.95 with three centuries. He has 583 runs from 22 T20 matches at 32.39. The left-hander spelled out his preparations ahead of the present series.
8220;I went to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore,worked in Mumbai,worked on my wrist position on the bouncy wicket at MIG and NCA and had good coaches to work under. I worked with Sandeep Patil. We have Duncan Fletcher here. Sachin Tendulkar played with us in CB series last time. His inputs would be very useful.8221;
India lately has not done well in T20 international matches,be it bilateral or a big event such as the T20 World Cup even though the inaugural world title went to Mahendra Singh Dhoni8221;s men in 2007.
In the ICC rankings,they are presently number seven,just ahead of the West Indies.
8220;We have to do well. Fielding is going to be a major factor here. We have to take catches and effect run-outs. We have to bat till the end.
8220;We have good all-rounders who can hit the ball hard and take wickets. We have good variation bowlers like Praveen,Irfan and Vinay. Hopefully,you would see an improved performance.8221;
The spunky youngster is hopeful a good show in Australia would pave way for his return in Test cricket.
8220;I played here against Australia A and South Africa A sides. I have done well. In Test cricket,I did well in the West Indies.
8220;I did well in 15 matches though I didn8217;t do well in England. But I know I can play many more Test matches. I do believe in hard work and when given chance again,would prove my worth.8221;
Raina has played in 15 Tests and scored 710 runs at 29.58 with a century on debut against Sri Lanka.
