come durban test... and we might see a very talented cricketer in suresh raina being dropped for another talented player... cheteshwar pujara...
but this post is about suresh raina...
recent failures of suresh raina has not been well received... pundits have already started calling him limited overs cricket bully not suited for test cricket... his perennial problems against short pitch bowling... his lack of foot work... basically you name it and he has that deficiency in his game...
for once i don't think he has any more short coming against short pitch bowling than the other talents around... its just that it has been hyped so much that he has fallen into no-man's land... the mind is cluttered with so many thoughts that it has started to infiltrate the functioning of his more strong skills... now more than the talent or skills it has become a question of temperament...
right now he seems to be in quandary whether to play a pull shot, he is perfectly capable of than most, or leave it... and in doing so isn't doing both... hence we saw him giving catching practice to slip cordon in centurion test... that was the shot of a man who wanted to leave it till last minute but played coz of instinct...
make no mistake... he has better footwork than most famed left-handers... he is one of the better players of spin... and has the skills that can change the complexion of the game by his sheer stroke play in just one session... given right dose of confidence and care... he could be the game breaker in the mold of gilchrist for india at no.6... but like many before him... he needs to find the right bearings to make a career in highest form of game... test cricket...
its only going to serve him good that he has been confronted with some uncomfortable questions at the very beginning of his test career and now knows exactly what it takes to be consistently successful at highest level... coz unlike one day cricket one can not get away in test cricket by just playing shots...
he needs to find his batting arc but for that he needs to be in relaxed and right frame of mind... which can only come from facing the same uncomfortable question again and again till it stops bothering you... once he will be able to make distinction of batting arc viz a viz which (short) ball to play and leave he will become that game-breaker at no.6 everyone wants in his team but only dreams about...
i know it is easier said than done but when playing at highest level was supposed to be easy...?
the same south africa tour last time saw another stalwart in virender sehwag getting dropped from team india... felt the pain of seeing team india playing from the idiot box in his own words... how he used that pain and how he has returned with vengence since then is a story worth telling...
so, if i were suresh raina, i won't see getting dropped from playing eleven as a setback... but a timely learning towards a long fulfilling journey...
when getting dropped is not a setback...
shared by straight point on Friday, December 24, 2010
dhoni's curious stand on suresh raina's 'mental fatigue'...
shared by straight point on Friday, November 26, 2010
first accept my sincere apology to talk about sundry matters like india vs south africa test series when the flavor of the moment is 'the asses'...
dhoni, after crushing new zealand in final test match of the test series, stood up for raina... and pronounced...
"If he doesn't get a break in the ODI series [after the first 2 games] then you have to [replace him]," Dhoni said. "He is at a point where he needs a break from cricket.
A 10 to 15-day break will really help him. He has played as much cricket as I have or most of other cricketers. He has played one more series in Zimbabwe. At times international cricket really drains you. More than the physical part it's always that mental part that is important. Unfortunately, most of the senior players are missing from the ODI series which means he had to play."
now no denying the fact that after dhoni, if any player that deserved the rest... it was suresh raina... he is the most busy player in team india, after dhoni, who has featured in almost all games without a break... but if he has really reached the 'tipping point' as mentioned by dhoni... why they continued to play him against no.8 team in the world...?
dhoni's excuse that they kept him playing thinking he would be given rest in one day series against new zealand don't cut the ice simply because why would you risk a fatigued player for three back to back five day games to limit team's potential when you have more fit and eager player in ranks in the form of cheteshwar pujara...?
as things stands now... if raina is not rested in later half of the odis (which i hope he will be) he is going to miss the first test against south africa in their home soil... and guess who will replace him...? cheteshwar pujara... in all probability...
this is baffling on many counts... if che is deemed capable enough to play in far tough conditions than the roads that were laid for new zealand test series at home... why he was not given an outing here instead of opting to include a player who is on the 'tipping point' as far as mental fatigue goes... hence, can be safely assumed, was not able to give his 100%... thereby limiting the potential of a team...?
dhoni himself acknowledged that india did not play to its potential in the test series against new zealand when he himself opted to do so...
another aspect is that if team management can decide who plays after selectors have done their job by selecting 15-16 players... can decide and announce more than a fortnight ago that so and so player will be rested... what was stopping the same think tank for doing it at home against a much lessor opponent...?
poor che... who had to spend time at bench when the roads were waiting for him to have a decent knocks against his name while a mentally fatigued player was allowed to keep playing to give him easy runs... but when the conditions will be more demanding... more challenging he will be picked to play coz the same fatigued player will be rested... and irrespective of whether che succeed or not will see his place being taken over again by the same player... who will come 'refreshed' after a well deserved break...
must say our team think tank has already made the forthcoming india vs south africa test series interesting without even a ball being bowled... at least for me...
the face of new suresh raina...
shared by straight point on Sunday, May 02, 2010
runs down leg side... 46% – runs down off side... 54%
do i need to say more...?
my friendly advise to suresh raina...
shared by straight point on Monday, March 29, 2010
this is contrary to the image one gets thinking of you... and that is what this post is all about...
enough has been said about your temperament... your refusal to mature and religious pursuit to stick to adolescence is well documented here at sp and also at bored...
so it is safe to assume that it's not going to change anytime soon...
we know every batsmen has a bail-out shot and yours is hitting the ball to mid wicket... till you do not play this stroke you don't feel you are in... but if you can just curb this compulsive urge to mop everything on midwicket... and more importantly look at off-side as a scoring option too... you will be more consistent than you are now...
just give it a thought...
investment going for a six over mid wicket...
shared by straight point on Wednesday, December 16, 2009
i am talking about suresh raina...
sometime back i wondered when raina will take that next step to raise his game... but sadly that impending step is still... well impending at best... coz he seems to be on staple diet without sensing the need for it...
the time has come we stop investing further in him coz he is showing no signs of learning... in fact his game is sinking faster than the titanic would have...
when raina debuted at international level he had wide array of strokes... he used to play all around park with wagon wheel cutting nice arcs all over... very swift on his toes... used to drive with elan like all lefties do with effortless timing and power...
but raina of today has almost completely purged his off side play... has allowed himself to be reduced to a maverick who can play just one stroke... the compulsive hoik over midwicket...
for a player who was talked as the future player to carry the legacy forward... and seen as india's no. 3 batsmen (at least in odis) it cuts a sorry picture... top order batsman don't get out this way with this alarming consistency of playing across line...
it is nothing but his laziness... lack of application to work on his game which is the biggest block... he can not come and complain that he is not given enough opportunities when the fact is he is the most non performing player in the team who is sneaking without notice from one game to another... from one series to another...
selectors and team management too are not favoring him to let him continue despite his obvious flaws... when the sensible thing will be to send him back to domestic games where he either develops his overall game as he still has age on his side or perishes without a trace...
"its better to prevent and prepare than repent and repair..." as navjot singh sidhu once famously said...
you will have to earn your place with consistent performances... specially when so many deserving hopefuls are cooling their heels in anticipation of a chance to don the coveted blue jersey...
no more freebies should be the mantra... if india wants to remain a top team to beat...
when raina will take that step...?
shared by straight point on Thursday, February 12, 2009
he has everything which is needed to succeed in limited version of game…he is very good fielder…in fact one of the best in business…can turn his arm over if required…and more importantly has wide array of strokes and fearless attitude to complement…
i would even go on to say that he has better technique than yuvraj and plays spin better than him…but even though he debuted about four years ago...he still cannot say with authority that he is certainty in the team…and he only has himself to blame for this…
he tends to lose concentration against run of play which has been the reason of his otherwise flourishing innings getting abrupt suddenly out of thin air…
one is used to of seeing him getting out this way…which has been his old nemesis since the days he debuted…this was also the reason he got dropped from team india…and will be the reason if he gets the boot again…
one would have thought that spending time in wilderness of domestic cricket after tasting the fame at international level would harden him to sort out things he felt were the reasons of his untimely exit…he would have worked hard on his fragile temperament which is but obvious to everybody but apparently to him…
its very baffling to say the least but it seems that no progress is made in this direction…
if not else he can certainly take some tips from gautam gambhir who too used to suffer from this very ‘bug’…and how hard he has worked on it to get back into the team with bang...so much so that his name gets written in team sheet first thing up in all forms of game now…
the player who once even got otherwise serene rahul dravid gushing…
Raina has shown what a phenomenal player he can turn into.
who still after playing so many years of international cricket...cannot take his game to next level...is struggling to keep his place...is not repaying the faith captain is showing in his abilities...knowing very well there are others who are waiting in wings for that slightest blip...and every time he throws his wicket after getting settled into nice 30s, 40s...they feel they are just another such innings away form making claim to that coveted spot...
come on raina...we all are waiting when you will take that step...
