Suresh Raina
is the league's most successful batsman but the only thing that had
eluded him over six years was a century. On Thursday at Chepauk, the
wait finally ended as he scored a match-winning, unbeaten 100 against
Kings XI Punjab. "It's a very good feeling. I missed out on a hundred in
South Africa. And when the team needs and you deliver, that's the best
feeling, so I am really happy," he said after the match.
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Such was his confidence that he actually seemed to celebrate on 99 because he knew with two balls to go he would not miss out this time. Raina paced his innings to perfection on Thursday. He was cautious but positive and once he reached his fifty, he was unstoppable. Speaking about his innings, he didn't forget to mention the people who he feels have helped make him such a successful batsman in the format.
"I had to be a bit cautious against the new ball. I have been spending a lot of time with Duncan (Fletcher) and (Stephen) Fleming. Michael Hussey has been my role model in this tournament. I am working on my shape with Fleming. Twenty20 is all about how you play your shots and, at the same time, keep thinking how the bowler's going to do," he said.
The left-hander also spoke of the great environment within the CSK team that he feels has contributed to their success, especially in close contests.
"When you have a positive dressing room, you learn a lot of good things. It's all about your attitude, all about your hard work. I believe in hard work, discipline and commitment. Apart from the players, our franchise owners and support staff have also been working hard. We have a team room where we spend a lot of time together. We play table tennis and pool together. So, we are very close and know each other well as a team."
Raina revealed that there was also another reason for the team's grit during tight situations. "I still remember the final against KKR last year where we scored 190 and lost. So there's still that concern. We don't want that to happen.
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Such was his confidence that he actually seemed to celebrate on 99 because he knew with two balls to go he would not miss out this time. Raina paced his innings to perfection on Thursday. He was cautious but positive and once he reached his fifty, he was unstoppable. Speaking about his innings, he didn't forget to mention the people who he feels have helped make him such a successful batsman in the format.
"I had to be a bit cautious against the new ball. I have been spending a lot of time with Duncan (Fletcher) and (Stephen) Fleming. Michael Hussey has been my role model in this tournament. I am working on my shape with Fleming. Twenty20 is all about how you play your shots and, at the same time, keep thinking how the bowler's going to do," he said.
The left-hander also spoke of the great environment within the CSK team that he feels has contributed to their success, especially in close contests.
"When you have a positive dressing room, you learn a lot of good things. It's all about your attitude, all about your hard work. I believe in hard work, discipline and commitment. Apart from the players, our franchise owners and support staff have also been working hard. We have a team room where we spend a lot of time together. We play table tennis and pool together. So, we are very close and know each other well as a team."
Raina revealed that there was also another reason for the team's grit during tight situations. "I still remember the final against KKR last year where we scored 190 and lost. So there's still that concern. We don't want that to happen.
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