Suresh Raina dreams of playing in 2019 World Cup final against Pakistan or Australia

[Abdullah719]

What's the story?

Suresh Raina opened up on what his targets are for the next two years in cricket. He is assured of his spot in the Indian team for the 2019 World Cup and he revealed that he is now focused on attaining complete fitness in order to deliver his best while playing for his country.

Raina also mentioned that he wants his daughter to cheer for him while he plays in the World Cup. Talking about his dream, he said, "I am playing the 2019 World Cup in England. It’s the final. India is playing Australia or Pakistan. And I hit the winning shot, a four. She is clapping in the stands. The tricolour is flying. Everyone is cheering for me. That’s what I want. That’s what I dream of."

"I don’t care about money, name-fame … all that will be there, and I have done it already. But there’s no greater kick than playing for India, with fans cheering", he added.


In case you didn't know...

Raina played a key role in India's successful campaign during the 2011 World Cup. However, in the past two years, he could not make a mark with his performance on the field.

The last time he played in a white jersey was against Australia in 2015 in which he failed to score substantial runs. Over time, he was replaced in the squad by young cricketers as he failed to win the trust of the selectors.

The details
Last week, it was reported that Raina failed in the yo-yo endurance test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Despite working so hard towards building his physical fitness, Raina could not perform according to the expectations. Hence, he is determined to put in more effort and prepare for his comeback.

Raina also stated that he still has about five-six years of cricket left in him. He explained that he draws his motivation from his family. He is now aiming to deliver his best in the next few years when he will play for his country.


What's next?

Raina will go through a tough training regimen in order to attain complete physical and mental fitness so that he can return to the team soon.


Author's take

The 30-year-old batsman was behind some incredibly magical moments. However, his consistent failure on the field in the past two years took a toll on the trust that everyone thrust upon him. Hence, it is crucial for Raina to bring back that kind of ferocious hitting that one expects as soon as they hear his name.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket...world-cup-final-against-pakistan-or-australia

 

[Leo23]

he is a terrific limited overs cricketer

india should not have discarded him for crap like jadhav and over the hill yuvi

also his dream of playing the wc final against pak or aus is a realistic one

these three teams are the top contenders

 

[Inswing]

he is a terrific limited overs cricketer

india should not have discarded him for crap like jadhav and over the hill yuvi

also his dream of playing the wc final against pak or aus is a realistic one

these three teams are the top contenders

only if we are not screwed by PCB

 

[ExpressPacer]

Mediocre cricketer. Should have never played over a hundred ODI's frankly.

 

[Haz95]

Should be in, is one of the only few strong willed Indians who can stand up against current Pak in an ICC match.

 

[Leo23]

Should be in, is one of the only few strong willed Indians who can stand up against current Pak in an ICC match.

india have been thrashing us in icc tournaments for years except the ct final

let's not get ahead of ourselves

 

[Leo23]

Mediocre cricketer. Should have never played over a hundred ODI's frankly.

if he is mediocre than your standards must be very high

he has always performed under pressure in big games

 

[Justcrazy]

He was responsible for many successful chases by India . Very handy limited overs player.

 

[aloo paratha]

Don't get why he was dropped in the first place. He's a gun ODI player.

 

[Poutine]

Indian fans claim that Pakistanis are obsessed with them while India don't really care to much about Pakistan. However it seems like every statement coming from India this week has been about Pakistan in one way or another.

I guess the obsession is equal on both sides.

 

[CanadianG00se]

Nothing wrong in dreaming, however he should also accept the reality that he is HISTORY.

There is no place for Raina/Yuvi/Dhoni in Indian team as of now, let alone for world cup 2 years away.
He should just play domestic and IPL.

I hope selectors give chance to young ones and build team for worldcup.

Goodbye Raina and thank you for your services, now do us a favour and let the young ones represent India.

 

[saeedhk]

A class and clutch ODI player. He has the ability to turnaround matches in a couple of overs and he has been instrumental in many India's wins. A top player and one of my favorites.

 

[ExpressPacer]

if he is mediocre than your standards must be very high

he has always performed under pressure in big games

My standards aren't too high but he's had it easy because everyone else was performing. As soon as Dhawan and Dhoni went out of form and Rohit got injured, he got dropped. He's a bits and pieces player and a poor man's Hafeez. The only reason he averages 35 odd is because of the joke of a pitches he plays on. India has much better options than him.

 

[Haz95]

india have been thrashing us in icc tournaments for years except the ct final

let's not get ahead of ourselves

aye but like the Pakistanis, this India is a different brand of cricketers. The Dhonis, Yurajs', Gangulys and co are finished and/or gone...now it's Sharmas, Kohlis and Bumrahs.

 

[troodon]

Raina should replace Jadhav right away.

Jadhav is a hack and cannot handle pressure. His bowling is also pathetic. Raina is a much better bowler.

In fielding, Jadhav is perhaps the weakest fielder in the team. His catching is terrible and his ground fielding is shoddy. Raina is a gun fielder too.

 

[Slog]

Raina should replace Jadhav right away.

Jadhav is a hack and cannot handle pressure. His bowling is also pathetic. Raina is a much better bowler.

In fielding, Jadhav is perhaps the weakest fielder in the team. His catching is terrible and his ground fielding is shoddy. Raina is a gun fielder too.

Raina has been out of form for ages and not performing which is primarly why he isnt in the team

 

[Leo23]

aye but like the Pakistanis, this India is a different brand of cricketers. The Dhonis, Yurajs', Gangulys and co are finished and/or gone...now it's Sharmas, Kohlis and Bumrahs.

lol kohli has single handledly beaten pakistan in numerous icc tournament matches

one failure and now he can't handle the pressure lol

looks like you slept through two t20 world cups and the 2015 world cup )

 

[Haz95]

lol kohli has single handledly beaten pakistan in numerous icc tournament matches

one failure and now he can't handle the pressure lol

looks like you slept through two t20 world cups and the 2015 world cup )

I don't need anyone to convince me otherwise that Kohli has some relatively serious pressure handling issues when it comes to a player of his stature. This isn't just vs Pakistan but generally when the heat is truly on, I don't see him doing well. He's yet to do it in a major ODI tourney match, rather than a group stage one.

 

[Mp812]

Suresh Raina spot in under threat from five players who are currently in good form and are younger and fitter.
Shreyas Iyer, Risabh Panth, Krunal Pandya, Manish Pandey and to an extent even Kedhar Jadhav.
Infact not just Raina, even Dhoni is in danger of loosing his place in the team and one can easily assume Yuvi is history already.
To complicate his hurdles for his comeback , Raina has been himself not been in great form.
Raina has no doubt contributed in many Indian wins and anyone who thinks he is/was mediocre certainly has extraordinarily high standards.

 

[Proactive_]

A lot of dreamers in Indian cricket these days.. Sreesanth, Raina et al..

 

[Sarfarazian92]

How is this guy still only 30 lol

 

[someone21]

Usually, when one marries, it's start of golden days and peak time. With Raina, his career took a downturn when he got married. It's difficult to see how he will be back in the team.

 

[jnaveen1980]

His hopes of playing for India again is as good as playing for Pakistan or Australia.

 

[Sachin136]

My standards aren't too high but he's had it easy because everyone else was performing. As soon as Dhawan and Dhoni went out of form and Rohit got injured, he got dropped. He's a bits and pieces player and a poor man's Hafeez. The only reason he averages 35 odd is because of the joke of a pitches he plays on. India has much better options than him.

Only on PP will you find someone say that Raina is a poor man's Hafeez.

 

[Deewana]

hope Pak plays Australia and ur daughter cheers from the stands as di color of Pakistan is flaying and the revenge for 99 wolrd cup final is taken 2 decades latter #dream

 

[Inswing]

I don't need anyone to convince me otherwise that Kohli has some relatively serious pressure handling issues when it comes to a player of his stature. This isn't just vs Pakistan but generally when the heat is truly on, I don't see him doing well. He's yet to do it in a major ODI tourney match, rather than a group stage one.

Didn't you watched the T20 WC 2014 ?

 

[thehub]

Only on PP will you find someone say that Raina is a poor man's Hafeez.

it happens when you play two match winning innings in WC against them. one in Mohali 2011 WC and another one in Australia 2015 WC. still hurting.

all in sudden, "i am blessed with all facets of the game" hafeez is compared with match winner Raina. Raina is better than any of the current Pakistani batsmen. Raina is not even in Indian eleven. shows the difference between two line ups. shows why India is number 1 in Test and one of the top 3 in ODI.

 

[Haz95]

Didn't you watched the T20 WC 2014 ?

I did, I also watched IPL, PSLs and other T20 leagues here and there. I also watched 2011 ODI WC semi final, the 2015 ODI WC semi final, the 2017 champions trophy final to see what the difference in pressure of a ODI tourney was to a T20 tourney.

 

[Syed1]

He was a gun number six batsman. I think too much playing around with his batting position led to his downfall.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Only on PP will you find someone say that Raina is a poor man's Hafeez.

Hafeez's stats are a million times better.

 

[Stallion__]

He is well within his rights to dream especially because he has won some high profile matches for his country.

I still remember how his each and every run fuelled my anguish during 2011 semi. I was fervently hoping for India to fold for 230-240 when Wahab had Dhoni trap in front but this guy single-handedly took them past 250.

 

[leatherface58]

He is an underrated ODI player. Good finisher and has played some useful knocks to set up the innings too. Amazing fielder and useful part timer too. No reason why he cannot return in the World Cup if people like Rayudu/Jadhav fail.

 

[Sidilicious]

He might not be the most technically gifted player, but boy is he clutch.

We still need him in the team, especially over Jhadhav. Could easily fit in at 6.

 

[someone21]

He is an underrated ODI player. Good finisher and has played some useful knocks to set up the innings too. Amazing fielder and useful part timer too. No reason why he cannot return in the World Cup if people like Rayudu/Jadhav fail.

Remember World Cup is in England. Raina will struggle and next, he himself hasn't done anything worthwhile in the last 2 years in domestic cricket or even on the fitness level.

 

[Stallion__]

He is well within his rights to dream especially because he has won some high profile matches for his country.

Most importantly, he has hardly ever made any fuss about his batting position

 

[Leo23]

Hafeez's stats are a million times better.

but he is a million times better than hafeez under pressure

hafeez has only performed in one pressure match in his career while raina has won india many big matches with clutch performances

a far superior cricketer to hafeez

 

[zn426]

He is well within his rights to dream especially because he has won some high profile matches for his country.

I still remember how his each and every run fuelled my anguish during 2011 semi. I was fervently hoping for India to fold for 230-240 when Wahab had Dhoni trap in front but this guy single-handedly took them past 250.

And we had a run out chance. If they had hit him instead of the wicket he would have been gone. Then Misbah's tuk tuk would not have mattered.

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

This victory in CT 2017 was so important . This is one of the many examples. No way any Indian Player would mention Pakistan as a potential finalist along with Aus . Rivalry had almost became a joke.

THANK YOU AMIR
THANK YOU FAKHAR AND SARFRAZ
Pakistan Zindabad

 

[leatherface58]

Remember World Cup is in England. Raina will struggle and next, he himself hasn't done anything worthwhile in the last 2 years in domestic cricket or even on the fitness level.

So what? ODI pitches all over the world are dead aside from one or two wickets where it swings at the start. By the time, Raina will come in, ball will be old, bowlers will be tired and he will cash in. I agree that he has to show some performances in domestic but he is not someone who is a TTF.

 

[ExpressPacer]

but he is a million times better than hafeez under pressure

hafeez has only performed in one pressure match in his career while raina has won india many big matches with clutch performances

a far superior cricketer to hafeez

I disagree. Hafeez is a terrible player currently but the fact is, he has won Pakistan so many games with bat and ball, we don't acknowledge him enough for it. The mere final itself is such an important one.

 

[dani2k]

Keep working hard Suresh..There is a lot of sameness in the Indian LO middle order with righties after righties following one after the other. A south paw in the mix would serve the team well.

Ofcourse with the increase in focus in fitness (which was your forte not long ago) it might be tough for you to break in at the moment. But it is not beyond you to make the team once you regain your fitness levels and back them with performances.

My guess is that Jadhav is being given opportunities only to gain experience (he does provide great value to the team atm - though has to work on his fielding a little) . Come the WC Raina would be back in the mix. He is younger to Jadhav and provided he has numbers to back him up, he will be a serious contender for #6 (given that Dhoni would not be an automatic choice this theory has a strong likelihood of coming true). Mark my words..

 

[Dingolfy]

My standards aren't too high but he's had it easy because everyone else was performing. As soon as Dhawan and Dhoni went out of form and Rohit got injured, he got dropped. He's a bits and pieces player and a poor man's Hafeez. The only reason he averages 35 odd is because of the joke of a pitches he plays on. India has much better options than him.

Man, you must be smoking some serious stuff to compare the tuk-tuk master who was equally poor in field against somebody like Raina who saved India's backside in many crunch situations and used to save 20-30 runs with his top-notch fielding. Hafeez inspite of batting much higher-up than Raina for most of his career has an average of 33.01 at a tuk-tuk strike rate of 75.58 against Raina's 35.46 at 93.46. Only his ODI bowling stats are better but then those were with help of an Illegal action.

 

[PakLFC]

I can understand him wanting to play Pak. He was not in the team when we beat them like their daddy in the Champion's Trophy final!

 

[ExpressPacer]

Man, you must be smoking some serious stuff to compare the tuk-tuk master who was equally poor in field against somebody like Raina who saved India's backside in many crunch situations and used to save 20-30 runs with his top-notch fielding. Hafeez inspite of batting much higher-up than Raina for most of his career has an average of 33.01 at a tuk-tuk strike rate of 75.58 against Raina's 35.46 at 93.46. Only his ODI bowling stats are better but then those were with help of an Illegal action.

Rahane is a bits and pieces cricketer and quite frankly, has done little of note in his entire career. The only substantial innings he's ever played would perhaps be his innings against Pakistan in the QF of the WC'15 but even then he was aided by Kohli's marathon knock.

As for his fielding, I would agree that he's been pretty good sometimes but let's not forget how many runs he used to lose for the team with his atrocious fitness.

 

[Dingolfy]

Rahane is a bits and pieces cricketer and quite frankly, has done little of note in his entire career. The only substantial innings he's ever played would perhaps be his innings against Pakistan in the QF of the WC'15 but even then he was aided by Kohli's marathon knock.

As for his fielding, I would agree that he's been pretty good sometimes but let's not forget how many runs he used to lose for the team with his atrocious fitness.

Atrocious fitness? Such as? Lol,he went out of the team because of his poor batting form off late but even then he was running faster than any ODI cricketer Pakistan has ever produced.And how can you forget his knock against Pakistan in 2011 Semi-finals? He was the sole reason we could reach to a respectable total and then fielded like a man posessed to keep your tuk-tuks at bay against our trundlers.

 

[silentkiller187]

good player, but i think hes days are numbered. should hope to make the squad first.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Atrocious fitness? Such as? Lol,he went out of the team because of his poor batting form off late but even then he was running faster than any ODI cricketer Pakistan has ever produced.And how can you forget his knock against Pakistan in 2011 Semi-finals? He was the sole reason we could reach to a respectable total and then fielded like a man posessed to keep your tuk-tuks at bay against our trundlers.

What makes you say he was running faster than any Pakistani cricketer? Don't give me vague statements without having anything to back it up with. Raina has never been the epitome of fitness, was just a very good fielder for a span of time and is now back to being ordinary - something which was very visible in this year's IPL.

Also, I can hardly remember any sizeable knock he's played. The crux of my post was that he is a poor man's Hafeez and my opinion still stands. Hafeez the batsman alone (who I am a HUGE critic of) has played more important knocks in his batting career than Raina can ever dream of and we're not even taking into the fact that he was a brilliant bowler and still is.

 

[Dingolfy]

What makes you say he was running faster than any Pakistani cricketer? Don't give me vague statements without having anything to back it up with. Raina has never been the epitome of fitness, was just a very good fielder for a span of time and is now back to being ordinary - something which was very visible in this year's IPL.

Also, I can hardly remember any sizeable knock he's played. The crux of my post was that he is a poor man's Hafeez and my opinion still stands. Hafeez the batsman alone (who I am a HUGE critic of) has played more important knocks in his batting career than Raina can ever dream of and we're not even taking into the fact that he was a brilliant bowler and still is.

Ask any neutral who watched how he ran and how Pakistanis ran and you will get your answer.Dude, why do you think you guys still struggle to chase anything over 250 even in the era of flat pitches and we chase 300s like in sleep. Because our boys run hard and know how to convert singles into two and two into threes.And Raina was one of the fastest runners in our team when he was playing.How do you think otherwise he could fly around in the field if he wasn't quick enough.

And can you list those Hafeez big knocks which you are talking about? Dude, he is one of the biggest reasons you guys lost in 2011 World Cup.Came and tuk-tuked to a 43 from 59 balls and thus increased required run-rate and pressure on the other batsmen.And how about 2014 Asia cup? Came at when the RRR at a comfortable 4.48 and batted really 'phast' to make it to 6.71 and it took Afridi's brilliance to save Pakistan.For sure,Suresh Raina wouldn't dream to play like that.

Raina has bulked up after his marriage and took his number 6 position for granted.But he still fields much better than Hafeez ever was in his career.

or pull back a six like this as he did against England this year:

[video]http://www.bcci.tv/videos/id/3956/super-suresh-saves-a-six[/video]

or hitting bull's eye like this:

https://www.facebook.com/IPL/posts/10154611573158634

And this is what great Jonty Rhodes has to say about Raina this year:

Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif were some of the better fielders around. Virat Kohli, he is ok. But Suresh Raina for me is the best fielder in India. He goes for the ball, regardless of whether he thinks he can get it or not. He reminds me a lot of a much younger Jonty Rhodes,” he said.

And with 442 runs in 14 matches, Suresh Raina was the fifth highest run-scorer of the tournament.Not possible in a tournament being a bad runner in a tournament where all the teams have gun fielders.

And regarding Hafeez's bowling.One word.ILLEGAL ACTION. Raina would be better off with not having that action.

 

[Dingolfy]

good player, but i think hes days are numbered. should hope to make the squad first.

He is only 30. 2 years younger than Kedar.Once he sort out his fitness to current Indian standards and improve his batting, he should be back to Indian team.I am not entirely convinced with Kedar's hitting abilities whereas a prime Raina can hit from ball one and have saved our backside in plenty of crunch situations. And he was a live-wire in field and can run like a hare during batting , both departments where Kedar struggles.

 

[Pakistanian]

The champions trophy loss must still sting indian players

 

[ExpressPacer]

Ask any neutral who watched how he ran and how Pakistanis ran and you will get your answer.Dude, why do you think you guys still struggle to chase anything over 250 even in the era of flat pitches and we chase 300s like in sleep. Because our boys run hard and know how to convert singles into two and two into threes.And Raina was one of the fastest runners in our team when he was playing.How do you think otherwise he could fly around in the field if he wasn't quick enough.

And can you list those Hafeez big knocks which you are talking about? Dude, he is one of the biggest reasons you guys lost in 2011 World Cup.Came and tuk-tuked to a 43 from 59 balls and thus increased required run-rate and pressure on the other batsmen.And how about 2014 Asia cup? Came at when the RRR at a comfortable 4.48 and batted really 'phast' to make it to 6.71 and it took Afridi's brilliance to save Pakistan.For sure,Suresh Raina wouldn't dream to play like that.

Raina has bulked up after his marriage and took his number 6 position for granted.But he still fields much better than Hafeez ever was in his career. Come back to me when Hafeez can take catch in slip like this:
[video]http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/1096602.html[/video]

or pull back a six like this as he did against England this year:

[video]http://www.bcci.tv/videos/id/3956/super-suresh-saves-a-six[/video]

or hitting bull's eye like this:

https://www.facebook.com/IPL/posts/10154611573158634

And this is what great Jonty Rhodes has to say about Raina this year:


And with 442 runs in 14 matches, Suresh Raina was the fifth highest run-scorer of the tournament.Not possible in a tournament being a bad runner in a tournament where all the teams have gun fielders.

And regarding Hafeez's bowling.One word.ILLEGAL ACTION. Raina would be better off with not having that action.

I don't understand what you're trying to prove with you abysmal logic. Do you have reading problems because I don't have the time to spoon feed everything to you. Like I said earlier, I recognize that for a span of time Raina was a very good fielder but he balanced that out by being a very bad fielder at the start of his career and his last few games. Either you take it or you don't.

As for Hafeez's action, he clearly passed the bowling test and therefore the action being illegal in the first place is YOUR opinion. I'm not going to debate on that. And Hafeez's mere knock in the final vs India where he absolutely smashed your bowlers is enough to take him light-years ahead of any Raina, Rahane or whoever you have.

 

[Dingolfy]

I don't understand what you're trying to prove with you abysmal logic. Do you have reading problems because I don't have the time to spoon feed everything to you. Like I said earlier, I recognize that for a span of time Raina was a very good fielder but he balanced that out by being a very bad fielder at the start of his career and his last few games. Either you take it or you don't.

As for Hafeez's action, he clearly passed the bowling test and therefore the action being illegal in the first place is YOUR opinion. I'm not going to debate on that. And Hafeez's mere knock in the final vs India where he absolutely smashed your bowlers is enough to take him light-years ahead of any Raina, Rahane or whoever you have.

Dude,Raina came into the team with the tag of a superb fielder and a brilliant hitter.That is exactly why he was drafted in.And FYI, you are born athletic, you cant manufacture it and probably your tuk-tuk master ain't lucky with that.And all the video links I gave in the earlier post was of this year and during IPL 2017 which you claimed you have 'seen' him.And those videos prove that even at his worst phase,Raina can still jump, take catches and hit the stumps with the accuracy and agility tuk-tuk master can ever dream about.
And boy, your last sentence showed how many 'knocks' have Hafeez had.You sleep with his one flukey one, I will live with Raina's countless ones against you guys and brilliant fielding.

 

[subbu]

Man of the match ..and a good come back series

 

[Ab Fan]

He knows only those two teams can reach WC final lol.

Although personally, England has chance because they have the best ODI side ever.

 

[Napa]

Man of the match ..and a good come back series

On a night when Sehwag and Tendulkar failed, Raina set India on the path to victory in the WC final over SL. He will always have that as part of his legacy.

 

[Sidilicious]

On a night when Sehwag and Tendulkar failed, Raina set India on the path to victory in the WC final over SL. He will always have that as part of his legacy.

Raina is so underrated for our WC campaign. His innings against Aus, and especially against Pakistan were as clutch as they get.

 

[indipper]

In Eng, with this bowling stock, we should wipe them away.

 

[UN talkz]

He definitely should be in India's team for WC19

 

[Greenstorm]

He is far better than Jadhav, Pandey and Iyer type players. Why was he dropped ? I remember he was poor against short pitch bowling, has he rectified that ?