The veteran Indian cricketer, Suresh Raina has always been known for his fitness level due to which he has emerged as a tough athlete and a prolific fielder. He has been playing a crucial role in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise. There have been times when the cricketing fraternity has witnessed Raina coming up with match-winning performances in all the three aspects of the game on one single day.
Raina has been eyeing a comeback in the national squad for quite some time now. Earlier this year he prepared well for the IPL so that he could be drafted into the Indian team for the T20 World Cup which was scheduled later this year. However, COVID-19 has disrupted all the plans and since the T20 World Cup shifted next year, he has shifted complete focus on the IPL starting September 19.
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According to the reports of Times Now, the vintage batsman, during a webinar interaction said, “This IPL, it would be very interesting to see how players are thinking, you are playing in different circumstances, you have a lot of protocols from ICC and at the same time, you are going through tests every two-three weeks, so I would say coming out from all those tests, You need to be clear with your head on what you are going to do on the field because.”
The veteran southpaw also went on to express his thoughts on the importance of enjoying cricket during such times.
Raina elaborated, “At the end of the day when you are playing a sport, you need to enjoy your game. Then you can come out of the ground as a happy soul. So I believe, all tests will be done before the IPL and we will be in a good frame of mind because we all are sitting at home from the last five months. I’m looking forward to this.”
Sharma ng his experience of staying at home during the lockdown Raina said that they have not had such a long break. However, he also acknowledged that it has given them time to reflect on what can improve. He said that nowadays he enjoys every bit of being on the turf.
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The Uttar Pradesh-born player also shared his thoughts on the playing conditions and weather in the UAE. He reckoned that the wickets in UAE would behave similarly to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and so CSK will find it easy to adapt to the playing conditions easily.
Raina explained, “There could be Chennai wickets. In this pandemic, a lot of challenges have happened and fitness is the key. Luckily, we are going early in the UAE, so I think, right now there is humidity in Dubai, the weather is 40 degrees Celsius, the sandstorm is there, but the best thing in Dubai is that you don’t have logistical problems, it is 45 minutes from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, you go from there to Sharjah, it’s 40 minutes.”
