Dubai : It was possibly in the fitness of things that Suresh Raina hit the winning runs in India's series-equalling win at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, given the fact that he has made the most of the break into the serious business of Test cricket against Sri Lanka.
The energetic young man from the north Indian state of UP joined an exclusive club of centurions in debut in the second Test, before following it up with impressive knocks of 68 and an unbeaten 41 in the must-win final clash.
The current season, starting with the Indian Premier League (IPL), had seen Raina on a roll. Not only did he play a big role in Chennai Super Kings claiming the elusive title, the attacking middle order batsman rose to the occasion as a senior pro at both the limited overs format for India — before going on to cut his teeth in Tests as well.
While on international duty in Sri Lanka, Raina still found time for an e-mail interview with Gulf News after the second Test on how his career had shaped up over the last six months, the future and, of course, the Champions League T-20 which is round the corner. Following are the excerpts:
GULF NEWS: The last few months have been extremely rewarding for you with the Test debut capping it all. How does it feel?
SURESH RAINA: Yes, the last few months have been pretty great. First, my 100 during the T-20 World Cup, followed by being honoured with the responsibility of captaining India for the Zimbabwe tour. It was great to win the T20 series against Zimbabwe and become the only Indian captain to win an away T20 series.
Then bringing home the Asia Cup after 15 years was an experience in itself, and now a 100 in Tests. As sportsmen, we work really hard and make a lot of personal sacrifices but it's all worth it in the end.
What are the factors that you attribute your batting success to?
Hard work, dedication, discipline, staying fit, watching my diet and being mentally sound.
How would you describe your experience as a captain for teams (India & Chennai Super Kings), who are expected to win all the time?
Being honoured with the responsibility of captaining India for me is the ultimate honour. And the Chennai Super Kings are one of the strongest teams in the IPL so being picked to captain them was a great honour too.
Being captain of these teams does have the added pressure of keeping up the winning streak. I took it in my stride and focused on the actual game at hand as opposed to the outcome which depends on the overall performance of the team not one individual.
I kept that in mind and tried to keep the team in the best frame of mind and bring out the best in each player, That's what any good captain does.
The Champions League T-20 is round the corner and the Super Kings will be leading the challenge there. How good are your team's chances?
We are an incredibly well balanced team. We have as good a chance as any to win the Champions League T20 2010. It would be great to win IPL and Champions league in the same year!
With the World Cup about seven months away, how do you think this Indian team are shaping up to the task of winning it at home?
Team India are and always have been a strong team, we work hard and identify our shortcomings and work on them. At the same time, we need to raise our fielding standards. One-day cricket is all about fielding so we need to focus more on that.
Finally, a word on Dhoni — somebody whom you have hugely admired as a captain.
Dhoni is a very good captain, I've learnt a lot under him and the rest of our seniors. They are constantly helping and guiding us.
