On Sunday, Suresh Raina was facing the net bowlers away from the main practice session inside the Sinhalese Sports Club. Little did he know that he would be making his Test debut on Monday. He came in for an indisposed Yuvraj Singh.
Raina, who now holds the record for playing most ODIs before playing a Test match (98), was his usual self on the field. The southpaw, who bowls part-time off-spin, showed glimpses of class with his variations.
The youngster said he would like to take maximum advantage of the chance he has got. “I am really thankful to God. He has been kind to me. If you look at the number of senior players we have, they have all helped me during the one-day series and now it is an important battle for me. If I get chance tomorrow or day after, I will do my very best,” said Raina
Raina said his batting has improved in the recent times. “I am looking good at the moment, just want to perform well for the team,” he added.
With the strike bowlers failing to make an impact, Raina got a chance to roll his arm and impressed everyone by mixing up his deliveries. “It is a challenge when you have to bowl a couple of overs and chip in to help your side. I bowled a couple of variations like the leg-break,” he added.
Raina felt the bowlers had bowled well in the given the conditions. “We bowled really well, especially after lunch and tea. We didn’t give them much room. Ishant and Mithun are bowling really well and in good areas. We had a good bowling plan.”
Looking ahead, he said Lanka could go on to score around 600. Raina said India needed good partnerships. “We will have something like three days to bat. We can have some good partnerships. Your approach is very important,” said Raina, who got the Test cap from his idol Rahul Dravid.
