Published: Feb 18, 2015, 03:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 18, 2015, 03:35 PM (IST)
Indian batsman Suresh Raina spoke about India’s victory against Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Raina went on to say that Indian captain MS Dhoni had a one-on-one interview with each member of the team to explain their personal roles to them. Read the highlights from India’s sixth straight win over Pakistan in Cricket World Cup history.
In an interview with bcci.tv, Raina said, “Games against Pakistan are always pressure games. It is a different feeling to play against Pakistan. This is my second World Cup and the second World Cup game against Pakistan. We won it in 2011 and now I have played against them in 2015 and won it again. I hope we maintain this record against them. We have got the start that we were looking for this World Cup. I hope we do well in the coming matches.” ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
Raina said that while India failed to win a game in Australia till the practice match against Afghanistan, the meeting Dhoni had with each member of the team was a big boost. “We have not had the best of times in Australia over the last three months but we showed a lot of intensity in the warm-up games. We had a very good meeting with MS Dhoni where he spoke to each and every player of the team about their roles and responsibilities in the tournament. It was a masterstroke by the captain to walk out to each player and make them understand their roles. It was followed by the rest of the management giving us pointers about the game and it was a good touch added to our daily regime.” ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Raina went on to speak about his promotion up the order to No. 4. “Dhoni had asked me to pad up and be ready. The moment Shikhar Dhawan got out he called out for me to bat. I understood that I had to play myself in and be positive after the first 15-20 balls. Virat and I had a lot of chat regarding spending as much time as possible in the middle and rotate the strike frequently. Running between the wickets is going to be crucial this World Cup since the grounds are bigger.” ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
He continued, “You need to work the spinners into the gaps and look for scoring at a good rate. Also, it really helps having a good runner at the end. We weren’t getting the boundaries frequently, but because of the strike rotation, we managed to get five to six runs every over.” Full scorecard of India vs Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match.
“I wanted to get my eye in in the beginning of the innings and then go for my shots. The boundaries are bigger but I backed myself to clear them whenever I tried to hit them. I know when I connect the ball it does travel a long way. I was playing a very dominating game today and the ball was hitting well on my bat. I had worked hard on my batting in the practice sessions and am glad I played a crucial innings with Virat Kohli. I am feeling good about my batting and only hope that my good run continues for the rest of the tournament,” he said. What went wrong for Pakistan — a psychological barrier against India at World Cups.
Raina also spoke about learning from India’s Man of the Tournament in the ICC World Cup 2011, Yuvraj Singh. “You need to follow your instincts, which I have learnt from Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. I have always batted lower down the order and in the previous World cup when I didn’t play the bulk of the matches; I observed Yuvi and saw how he used to finish games for the side. I want to play Yuvraj Singh’s role in this World Cup. I want to field, bowl and bat well.”
