Brisbane: Relieved to be in good ODI form ahead of next month's World Cup, Indian batsman Suresh Raina said he would have been left devastated after his dismal failure in the cricket Test series against Australia had his side failed to draw the last two matches.
Raina scored a half-century in the tri-series ODI against Australia after having bagged a 'pair' in his return to Test cricket after two years.
India lost the Test series 0-2 but earned appreciation for fighting draws in the last two matches. "In Sydney (fourth Test), I played my first Test after more than two years and didn't score a run. That hit me real bad. Everyone in the team tried to cheer me up saying 'it's okay, it was hard luck'. But I was really disappointed. I was just stunned. It felt like a bad dream. I had worked so hard for this opportunity and earned it after so long," Raina told 'bcci.tv'.
Raina said the drawn matches were a huge factor in helping him reboot himself and be prepared for the ODI tri-series, which also features England. "I learned a lot in the next two days after that Test, gathered myself and practised really hard with the white ball. It was a new format and the one I have done well in. I put the Test behind me and started to focus on the ODIs. I am glad I could score a few runs right away," Raina said.
His weakness against the rising deliveries has been analysed quite often but Raina said he is a better player of the short delivery now. "People have been talking about the short ball for years now. But I have come a long way. I worked hard with Sachin paaji at the BKC and with (Pravin) Amre sir as well. I believe I have improved a lot in that regards and it shows in the way I have been playing the bouncer for quite a while now," he pointed out.
Talking about the team in general, Raina said the Indians need to improve their bowling as batsmen cannot be expected to bail the side out everytime. "I feel that we can improve our bowling. In the World Cup, we might have to defend 240-odd runs and for that our bowling needs to be much better. We didn't have Ishant and that made a lot of difference. His presence will be a big boost in the coming matches. Bhuvi bowled really well today, especially in the death," he said.
Raina said coach Duncan Fletcher has worked well to integrate the team by giving every player "leadership responsibilities"."The good thing about this team is that everyone is encouraged to take up leadership responsibilities. We have come up with a system in the team wherein we form small groups and discuss our performances at length. There is a different leader every day. Among batsmen sometimes it is Virat, at times Rohit or me," he said.
"Ishant, Shami and Bhuvi take turns with the bowling group. The idea behind this system is for each player to express himself. If you don't know what a person is thinking or how he is feeling, you tend to assume things about him and wonder why you're not getting the response you're looking for. If everyone speaks up, there is an open communication within the team and that helps us understand each other better. It is a very good system that Duncan (Fletcher) has brought into practice," he added.
Asked if the team has a good chance of defending the ODI World Cup crown next month, Raina said, "We have played very competitive cricket in the last two months and that has made the boys very tough. They are all very hungry to perform and win. We have done very well in the ICC tournaments in the last four years and that gives the boys a lot of confidence. We are hungry. Every individual in the team is," Raina concluded.
