New Delhi: Suresh Raina Picks India’s Trump Cards for T20 World Cup
The Significance of India’s 2011 World Cup Win in the Upcoming Tournament
NEW DELHI: Ravi Shastri’s fervent commentary from 2011 – “Dhoni, finishes it off in style, India lift the World Cup after 28 years – still reverberates. Twelve years after that, India once again are hosting the mega tournament this year and the 2011 World Cup-winning all-rounder Suresh Raina on Friday said that if India make it to the final, it won’t matter who they play.
India’s ICC Trophy Drought and Their Quest for the World Cup Trophy
India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in the 2011 title clash at the Wankhede Stadium to lift the coveted trophy. India haven’t won any ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy, and having lost another World Test Championship final in June earlier this year, India will be eyeing the World Cup trophy to end their decade-long ICC trophy drought.
Suresh Raina’s Perspective on Facing Opponents in the Final
Gracing the TOI’s inaugural ‘Right to Excellence – Sports Summit 2023’ in Delhi on Friday, Raina, when asked who should India face if the hosts enter the final, said,” “Koi bhi aaye, dekh lenge (whosoever is there, we will handle).”
India’s Trump Cards for the T20 World Cup
Raina, who played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20Is for India, also picked two players who can be the trump cards for the Rohit Sharma-led team in the World Cup, scheduled to start on October 5 in Ahmedabad.
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Kuldeep Yadav
The Importance of India’s Top-Order
Raina also said a lot will depend on India’s top-order.
“Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and (Shubman) Gill, agar woh teenon perform karengey (if the three of them perform), then we have a very good middle-order. We have Hardik Pandya, we have Ishan Kishan, then we have (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. Top three have to fire, especially Virat Kohli. He is a gun player, he is batting pretty well. If he stays probably 35-40 overs, we will have a good chance,” Raina opined.
Suresh Raina’s Best World Cup Memory
Raina, one of the finest all-rounders India have produced, recalled the World Cup winning moment in 2011. He termed it as his best memory.
“When we won the World Cup in 2011 at Wankhede, the whole stadium was full of fans and we were singing ‘Vande Mataram’, that is always closest to my heart. It has been an amazing journey, God has been very kind. My first World Cup ever and we won it,” Raina said with a smile.
