Raina back in the groove at Asia Cup

Indian batsman Suresh Raina has been enjoying a fine Asia Cup hitting an unbeaten 116 against Bangladesh and picking up two man-of-the-match awards. His recent good form follows a good season with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the batsman battled back from injury.

GULF NEWS: Two man of the match awards in back-to-back matches - how does it feel?

SURESH RAINA: Touch wood, I am batting well, and I sincerely believe that the IPL had made me more confident about batting. I faced better bowlers in that tournament and making runs against them made me more confident.

Your captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was really happy with your efforts. How did that feel?

See again it was because of the IPL. I played for the Chennai Super Kings where he was the skipper too. I got the opportunity to see him from the closest possible quarter. His most precious quality is that he is relaxed even under tremendous pressure. From the beginning of the tournament he said to me that the running between the wickets should be perfect and I have tried to maintain it.

Q: So, what is the reason behind your success in the Asia Cup?

Self-belief. I have made 301 runs in the tournament, and it's really great to perform when the team needed it badly. People won't believe but I can feel when a big knock is coming. I don't know how, but it's there and I was prepared to do well, too.

How did your family react during that time ?

They encouraged me a lot. In fact, it is because of them I am here playing for the country once again. I was so frustrated during that period that I did not even do my usual things. They noticed me doing so and advised me not to worry about it.

Beating Pakistan is the dream of any Indian cricketer. How did it feel to do that in the first match of this Asia Cup?

We all grew up listening to the stories related to this rivalry. People expect so much from you in this match, and I was just happy to contribute to the team's victory against Pakistan in an important match of the tournament.