Suresh Raina has made the most of the opportunity given to him as the role of a match-finisher in one-day matches but given a chance, he won't mind batting higher up the order as he believes it would give him a chance to settle with much more ease and he will be able to plan his innings better and can make a comeback in the Indian Test Squad.
According to the reports of Deccan Chronicle, Raina was quoted saying that," Definitely, I would like to bat higher up the order, If I am given a chance, I would like to give my 100 per cent as it will also give me an opportunity to play more overs. I have enjoyed batting at No 5,6or 7 where you need to bat till the finish.".
India have already won the series by taking an unbeatable 3-1 lead. For someone, who has been a regular face in India's ODI squad from past five years, Raina has a Test average of less than 30. But the left-hander is still hopeful of making a comeback in the Test fold.
As per the report in DNA, Raina talking about his comeback said, "If you talk about my Test performance, I scored 50 in one of my last three innings. I believe that I can make a comeback in Tests."
That he is eyeing a Test slot in the Australia series became evident when he stressed on the importance of doing well in the Irani Cup to be held from February 6-10."Yes, Irani Trophy will be very important but at this point, I want to focus on doing well in tomorrow's match. Although, we have won the series, it would be nice if we can finish with a 4-1 margin."
Raina informed that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is fully fit and has recovered from his thumb injury sustained during the practice session ahead of the Mohali game." He has had a long session at the nets today and is available for tomorrow's game."
Having played a couple of matches for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, Raina has some idea about the 22-yard strip at the newest international venue but he gave a very open-ended answer when queried on the subject. Times of India Raina was quoted by the Indian Express that, "This is the beautiful ground and the facilities provided by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association are up to the mark. Toss will be crucial in this game and it will be a good contest between bat and ball.”
Although he didn't divulge the team combination, his statement that "you will see a new batting attack tomorrow" raised questions as to whether the bench strength would be on display.
With the change of rules in ODIs and two new balls coming into effect, the role of part-timers has increased and Raina feels that the team is on the right track. He was quoted by the saying, "Myself and Rohit have always bowled a few overs and we have enjoyed the job. Joe Dawes has done an outstanding job with the bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja has been doing really well along with Bhuvneshwar and Shami. We have a set of 3-4 bowlers and they need to get accustomed to the new rules as only 23 months are left for the 2015 World Cup in Australia."
