Published 22:18 IST, May 23rd 2020
Suresh Raina says he was stunned when MS Dhoni asked him to bat at No. 4 during WC 2015
Suresh Raina has said that he was stunned when MS Dhoni had asked him to bat at number 4 during India's World Cup 2015 opener against arch-rivals Pakistan
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Suresh Raina has gone on to say that he was surprised when Mahendra Singh Dhoni had asked him to bat at number four during Team India's 2015 World Cup opener against arch-rivals Pakistan. Ajinkya Rahane used to be India's number four batsman back then. However, he had batted up the order in that contest.
'I never questioned his decisions': Suresh Raina
During a recent interaction on Youtube, Raina went on to say that he never questioned MS Dhoni's decisions and then mentioned that during India's match against Pakistan in the World Cup 2015, he was having a sandwich and suddenly, after 20 overs, he was asked by Dhoni to pad up to which he obliged and when that happened, Virat Kohli was batting really well whereas a well-set Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed a few overs later and that is when he had to go out and bat.
Furthermore, the southpaw also added that he had asked the 2011 World Cup-winning skipper why he was sent up the order to which the former captain replied by saying he reckoned that Raina would play better against the leg-spinner who was bowling at that time and had also praised his batting.
Raina went on to score a 54-ball 76 as India posted a competitive score of 300 riding on Kohli's stellar innings of 107 and Dhawan's sensational 73. In reply, Pakistan were reduced to 103/5 but a fighting 76 from then captain Misbah-ul-Haq meant that the Men In Green could manage in getting to 224. The MS Dhoni-led side won the match by 76 runs at the Adelaide Oval and thereby, continued their winning streak against the arch-rivals. It was their sixth win over the neighbours at the showpiece event.
India were the defending champions coming into the tournament. They had an outstanding World Cup where they won seven consecutive matches including the quarterfinal against Bangladesh. Nonetheless, a lopsided loss against the hosts and eventual winners Australia in the semi-final brought curtains down on their successful campaign.
22:18 IST, May 23rd 2020