I have worked hard on my game, says Raina

Suresh Raina is nothing if not a fighter. In three innings of substance and no less style, the left-hander has re-established himself as one of the premier Indian batsmen in the shorter version after the Asia Cup snub.

The 27-year-old, who was dropped from the one-day squad after a poor run of scores, was retained for World T20 given his proficiency in the format. The Uttar Pradesh batsman has justified the faith reposed in him with scores of 41 (against Sri Lanka), 54 (against England) and 35 n.o. (against Pakistan), the last two knocks coming in winning causes.

“I realised what I had done earlier,” Raina said here on Saturday as he spoke about his exclusion from the one-day squad for the Asia Cup. “I analysed my game and what can be done in the upcoming games. I worked hard with my coach in the nets and played a few domestic games. Now, I’ve done well and I hope I will do well in the coming matches as well,” he remarked.

Asked if he thought aggression was the method suited for him, Raina said it all depended on the situation. “In one-dayers, my batting position is different and you have to look at the circumstances you are batting in. You will have to rotate the strike a lot while batting at number 5 or 6. Batting with tail-enders, I have learnt how to build partnerships with them.

In T20 it’s a different thing because I know I’ll get only 10-12 overs to bat. In T20, you will have to change your game-plan in a short time like whom to attack and whom not to. I hope in the coming matches too I’ll do well.”

While noting that the win against Pakistan on Friday has provided them a momentum in the tournament, Raina stressed on the need to maintain the same intensity. He also lauded spinners’ work against Pakistan and hoped they would contain the explosive West Indies batsmen.

“We have Mishra who bowled really well in the last match,” he pointed out. “Ashwin and Jadeja too have been bowling well. But in T20, it all depends on who is better on that particular day and what you do after winning the toss. Spinners will be the key for us again, especially after the way we bowled yesterday against Pakistan who play spin really well.

But West Indies is a totally different team. They have a lot of players who are capable of hitting sixes and they are not adept at rotating strike. So it will be important to put pressure on big players at the start,” he elaborated.