I can be the No. 4 for India in the upcoming two T20 World Cups, says Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina, the Indian cricketer has been out of favor since July 2018. He made his last appearance in blues against England. The 32-year-old is currently recovering from his knee injury but the left-handed batsman is eyeing his comeback into the national squad very soon.

Raina used to be an ideal middle-order batsman when he was playing for the Indian team. He feels that he can bat for India at number 4 batting position which has turned into a headache for Team India. It’s been two years that India is struggling to find an ideal candidate for that position.

In the last two years, No.4 batting slot has been a debatable topic. The Indian team management tried Ambati Rayudu for some time, right before the World Cup 2019 in England, Vijay Shankar was handed the responsibility as well for the same spot. But, once Shankar got injured during the course of the tournament, Rishabh Pant was given the chance to play at the same slot.

Raina dreams to play for India again

Raina has a brilliant record while batting at number 4 position as he has managed to score 675 runs in 18 innings at an average of 45 with one ton and 6 half-centuries. He is ageing in the early 30s and still has not given up on his dreams to be back in the national squad.

32-year-old left-handed batsman expects to be back in action from November and is targeting on giving a shot at the back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, “Basically my left knee was cleaned up. I expect to be back playing in November,” Raina told Sportstar. “I can be the No. 4 for India. I have batted in that slot before and delivered. I am looking forward to an opportunity with two T20 World Cups coming up.”

While talking about the situation of Rishabh Pant, who is currently struggling a lot with his poor show with the bat, Raina feels the young Indian wicketkeeper is confused which is affecting his performance. He also added that someone needs to talk to Pant and ask him to play his natural game like MS Dhoni used to do with his players.

“He appears confused, is not playing his natural game. He is looking for singles, blocking, and appears lost, and someone needs to talk to him as M.S. Dhoni would do to players. Cricket is a mental game and Pant has to be backed to play his attacking brand of cricket. Right now he seems to be playing under instructions and it is not working,” Raina added.

Suresh Raina has scored 5,615 ODI and 1,605 T20I runs while playing for Team India and is known to be a very destructive batsman when he was in his best.