New Delhi: India discard Suresh Raina has expressed that he has been trying hard to get his spot back in the Indian squad by improving his style of play and taking advises of different people for the same.
The last time Raina had played for India was in the T20I series against England, back in February. He had hit 63 runs in Bangalore and later went on to have a decent IPL where he managed to score 422 runs in 14 matches for Gujarat Lions.
He was widely expected to earn a recall when India's squads for the ongoing five-match ODI and the one-off T20 against Sri Lanka were announced. However, the UP skipper missed the cut with the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey getting the nod ahead of him.
The 30-year-old, though, doesn't want to show any disappointment over his absence from the Indian set-up and is confident that his time under the sun will come sooner than later. Although making a comeback to the squad is on his mind these days, he wants to do it the hard way, with his performance.
"I want to use the stairs, not the elevator," said Raina.
"I'm not disappointed at all. I'm just looking to enjoy the process. When you achieve success, there is no shortcut you can take. My time will come. I have been working really hard. I'm enjoying my game. That’s what is in my control. I'm not thinking about what others are doing. My job is to practice and work hard. Whenever I get an opportunity, I will be looking to grab it with both hands," Raina told Cricbuzz.
"In the middle order, you need more games and more time to settle down. Most of the time, you just have 15-odd overs to bat. You need to be given a few series and then see what you can do. Middle order is one place where you can’t experiment too much. You need to able to assess the situation and finish games. It is very important to know your strengths and know your game for success," added Raina.
Talking about MS Dhoni’s performance, Raina hailed the former skipper’s batting and he is someone who can share his experience very well.
"Dhoni has been batting really well. He is looking very calm and working really hard. Around Virat Kohli, he can definitely share his experience. He has made a seamless transition," he said.
"I would love to come back to CSK and play under Dhoni again. Coming back to Chennai and meeting all the groundsmen, I am getting all the fond memories back," he added.
