Speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz in Conversation, Suresh Raina, India’s former batsman recalled his moments with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Raina disclosed that the ODI World Cup in 2007 had a huge impact on Dhoni.
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Raina’s equation with Dhoni
Suresh Raina spoke to Harsha on a chat show by Cricbuzz where he went on to talk about his former captain, colleague, and friend MS Dhoni. Raina recalled, “I spent a lot of time with MS in 2003-04, we used to have camps in Bangalore,” Raina recalled. “He always knew who I am as a person. We come from a place where we make things very simple. That’s why when we got to represent our country, I really felt he was the guy who could change the game. I had a word with him, he also changed a lot of things about my game, my career, my family and my whole approach. The year 2007 was very tough when I had my operation. That changed my life, that really made me tough and made me a better cricketer.”
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World Cup changed MS Dhoni
Suresh Raina revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni had learned a lot from the 2007 ODI World Cup and it had a major impact on him. “He really really learnt a lot in the 2007 (50-over) World Cup. That tournament changed him as a person. It just went on to show how serious he was. He always felt you can keep winning but you learn a lot from the losses. He’s a tough guy.”
Raina also had praising words for former coaches Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher. “I think Duncan Fletcher and Gary Kirsten taught us about risk management [in the game]… which risk can be taken and which risk cannot be taken. Those two points were always in my head. I still remember Flintoff came to our set up. Me and Mahi bhai were batting in the nets. Flintoff was bowling a fiery spell. Mahi bhai told me if you get a good ball, you’re not going to be able to hit it anyway. And if it is a bad ball, you can. So just stand your ground and play. T20 cricket is very simple. If you make it difficult, it’ll look difficult.”
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