I love batting at three, says Raina

Suresh Raina has donned the role of a finisher to perfection in the shorter formats and by his own admission he relishes batting at No 3 irrespective of whether he is playing for India or Chennai Super Kings.

“I love batting at No 3 as I can be positive and play my shots. When I scored a hundred against South Africa in West Indies (in 2010 World T20), I batted at number three. I love to dominate bowlers,” Raina said.

“You need to be focused and think about whom you need to take on. Luckily, I am batting well so hopefully in the coming matches I will do well.”

Raina believes that a good set-up has been key to CSK’s success in the last five editions of IPL.

“When you have succeeded in the last five editions, you need to maintain the consistency in your game. It is very important to win matches from difficult situations. We have a good set up and everyone wants to do well this season so I am really excited about this IPL.”

For the UP left-hander, these are still early days in IPL and one needs to maintain discipline in order to go the distance.

“It is the start of the season. You need to maintain your commitment and discipline. Whoever gets tensed up will lose the battle. It is important to stay together and focus on each and every practice session and execute them to win matches,” he said.

Chennai take on a struggling Pune side on Monday and Raina said they are not taking any side lightly due to the nature of the game. “In this format you can’t take any team lightly. You need to work hard, you need commitment,” he said.

Asked if the team has any specific game plan for flamboyant left-hand batsman Yuvraj
Singh, Raina said: “We need to get him early as he is a match-winner.”

There were no surprises when Raina named his CSK and Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the best finisher he has ever played with.