Suresh Raina disappointed with getting dropped from Team India but is optimistic of playing World Cup

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on March 23 and the fixtures of only the first 17 matches have been announced. The tournament is crucial for those players who harbour the hope of making it to the squad for the ICC World Cup that begins on May 30 despite not being in the reckoning otherwise. Some of these players have been big achievers in the IPL and they want to make use of the platform to the fullest to make their dream of appearing in yet another WC true.

Among such names is Suresh Raina. The 32-year-old left-hand batsman from Uttar Pradesh is the top scorer in the IPL with 4,985 runs in 176 matches and he looks forward to have yet another fruitful season for his team Chennai Super Kings. Raina has also been a member of a World Cup-winning squad and last played for India less than a year ago. The veteran batsman who is also known for his fielding prowess (the iconic Jonty Rhodes named Raina as his best fielder recently) is still harbouring the dream of playing his third WC after 2011 and 2015.

Raina recently spoke to Times Now in an exclusive interview in which he expressed his thoughts over his journey. He played regularly for India in the first half of 2018 and came up with some decent performances but got dropped after the three-game ODI series against England. When asked whether he thought it was unfair to him, Raina answered in the affirmative.

‘I was not expecting to be dropped’

“Definitely. I was surely not expecting to be dropped because I got limited matches to play and during those matches, I did fairly well. But you know, you can’t really blame anyone for these things. I work hard, focus on my form & fitness every day. I am continuing to do my job,” Raina, who has centuries in all three formats of the game, said. He has played in 226 ODIs since 2005, scoring over 5,600 runs at an average of over 35.

He was also asked whether a successful stint in IPL 2019 will revive his chances of playing in the WC since India’s middle-order is still not in a solid shape. To that, he said he has always given his best for the team he plays for irrespective of the level. He was also asked whether his experience could help India lift the WC one more time and to that Raina’s reply with a smile was, “Who wouldn’t want to lift the World Cup twice.”

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