It's all in the mind: MS Dhoni tells out-of-form Suresh Raina

[G_B_]

ESPNcricinfo ✔ @ESPNcricinfo Suresh Raina hit on the left elbow in the nets. He has soft tissue damage and was taken for a precautionary X-ray. Could miss 3rd ODI.

[zubinpepsi]

no.. we still have sharma twins and Ashwin.. :--D

[AnkurUpadhyay]

Celebration time. :yay: BTW, who hit him? :bumsmack: Finally, someone said, B->

[GautiMaan]

He is our best option at 6.Now if Nohit was injured..

[SLICKR392]

He did well at 6. That's the spot for him.

[bihutoli]

They should drop Nohit, Raina and Dhawan and allow Virat to bat twice. That looks like our only chance of an overseas win in a long time.

[Pagalpanti]

:aha: :aha: Shami winning games for India off the field as well :winky:

[Austin 3:!6]

Thats sad news...he is our best no.6 bat

[putrevus]

It's all in the mind: MS Dhoni tells out-of-form Suresh Raina Is Dhoni fricking kidding me, anyone who knows anything about Raina is this idiot has never played short ball well.It is not the question of form , form is for players who actually can play when they are in form. I am sure even Nathan Mccullum if tries to bouncer to Raina he will be clamped on his backfoot look like a deer caught under lights , Raina scored 30 odd in last match and I don't think even on his best day he can exceed that score under these conditions. Guys like Raina, Nohit are players who simply cannot play under these conditions.It is not question of form, it is like someone saying Ishant is out of form otherwise he is a great bowler. Jury is still out on Dhawan, Is Dhawan ia guy who just had good run due to his form and luck being on his side last year or is he the player who is there for long run is yet to be seen. Rahane may or may not be a test player but he sure is not an odi player and that too in the middle order. So out five batsmen there is only Kohli who we know can bat and add to that inept bowlers who can neither bat nor bowl to save their fricking lives and are led by obstinate and pigheaded Moron as a captain we have recipe for disaster. The matches here look close unlike in SA just due to one man and that man deserves better that what he is getting from his moronic team mates. Can they the balance of this team right for World Cup next year, if this is the team they are going to play then India would be one of the worst teams.

[jf1gp_1]

He like always looks home at 6 as he did in 2nd ODI, no idea how this is good news given the absence of a power hitter in the squad and struggling openers.

[AnkurUpadhyay]

He like always looks home at 6 as he did in 2nd ODI' date=' no idea how this is good news given the absence of a power hitter in the squad and struggling openers.[/quote'] Last ODI was played on a pitch that was very much subcontinent like. That's why he was looking comfortable. He struggles big time on pitches with even little bit of help for bowlers. Besides, Rayudu can hit the ball too and unlike Raina, he is fairly comfortable playing short ball.

[GautiMaan]

Last ODI was played on a pitch that was very much subcontinent like. That's why he was looking comfortable. He struggles big time on pitches with even little bit of help for bowlers. Besides' date=' Rayudu can hit the ball too and unlike Raina, he is fairly comfortable playing short ball.[/quote'] Hold your horses,i dont think we have seen Rayudu enough to come to such a conclusion.

[AnkurUpadhyay]

Is Raina India's best No.5?

Suresh Raina is known for throwing himself around on the field, and even with only four men outside the circle, MS Dhoni trusts him enough to hand him the ball now and then. But do India believe he is the best man they have to walk in at 30 for 3 against Dale Steyn or Mitchell Johnson at the MCG in the 2015 World Cup? It is unusual for such a question to even be contemplated for a man who is 12 short of 200 ODIs. But the fact that it is being asked is revealing. It is staggering for a batsman who is in his ninth year of international cricket to still have a major problem with the short ball. It is also staggering that a batsman with such a problem should have played as much top-grade cricket as Raina has. But this is not only about the short ball. Bouncer or not, Raina does not provide the confidence that he can last long enough to revive India from 30 for 3 against sustained, quality fast bowling away from subcontinent conditions. The team management seems to have faith in him though, they recently thought of developing him as a back-up No.4 batsman for the World Cup. Raina had four innings at that position at home against Australia. Twice, he fell cheaply to Johnson's bouncer (he fell similarly to Adam Milne in Napier). In a terrible series for bowlers - 350-plus totals were hunted down twice with ease - Raina managed a highest of 39. That innings ended when he swiped at James Faulkner and mis-hit to third man. That swipe over midwicket is probably Raina's defining stroke. It emphasises he is an aggressive player, that he does not like to be tied down. But if he bats at No.5 in Australia or South Africa, there will be days when he will have no choice but to be circumspect for a while. Does Raina have the patience and the skills to bide his time? Can he survive a few hostile overs from Johnson and Steyn? If after so many years, there are still doubts over that aspect of his game, then we probably know the answer. The swipe is also symbolic of Raina for another reason. In India, he often comes in when quick runs are needed. There is little problem with swiping everything over midwicket at the death. But do India want a No.5 ODI batsman whose primary skill is that? It might pass at home where the top order more often than not sets up games. But to have so much belief in a man, who often needs a senior partner at the other end, seems difficult to justify. Especially when India have one of the greatest limited-overs batsmen ever to follow Raina at No. 6. Dhoni not only finishes games better than Raina does, he also rebuilds and revives without much discomfort. Tellingly, Raina manages just over 28 outside Asia with three fifties. Dhoni averages nearly 42 with 16 half-centuries. And he also promotes himself ahead of Raina at times. Dhoni did that in the second ODI in Hamilton. Raina came in at No.6, when the asking-rate was quite high. He fell after clubbing 35 off 22. Dhoni sounded satisfied with the effort. "It was a certain kind of game that was demanded of him [Raina] in this particular innings," he said. "It was good. He is someone who plays aggressive cricket but it is important to control your mind as to what are the areas you want to hit. If it is not there, [your have to see] what are the options you have got. It is not like you want to try and hit something, [and] even if is not there you go for a big shot. That was something he did particularly well in this innings. Hopefully he will gather plenty of confidence after this innings and carry on longer." The point, however, is whether Raina has the game to last longer when conditions and situations are difficult? Or are India happy to go to the World Cup with a No.5 whose strongest suit is scoring quick, late runs? That is, if he manages to survive the inevitable early bouncer barrage. If Dhoni feels the need to come in at No.5 ahead of Raina, India might be better off picking someone like Stuart Binny at No.6. He will give them a seam-bowling option, something Raina cannot. And he might not do much worse than Raina is at present with the bat.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-india-2014/content/story/712469.html

[AnkurUpadhyay]

Hold your horses' date='i dont think we have seen Rayudu enough to come to such a conclusion.[/quote'] Then this is the best chance to give him a try and see what he can do. Besides, he was the best batsmen on India A's tour of New Zealand and West Indies.

[Old guy]

Hold your horses' date='i dont think we have seen Rayudu enough to come to such a conclusion.[/quote'] Actually I have and he is much much better than Raina

[jf1gp_1]

Actually I have and he is much much better than Raina

Weren't you Till last month vouching how mo hit sharma would transform indian bowling attack.

[Old guy]

Weren't you Till last month vouching how mo hit sharma would transform indian bowling attack.

No I was not u can re check threads I said he deserves one more chance to bowl I. South Africa and after first game I posted here it's enough and he got chance to prove himself Same thing was said during ranji match sachin tendulkars last that he looks steady nothing special Had discussion with lord in that thread u can search it or u can keep believing trolling of g_b who is doing that cos I laughed at mumbai

[Old guy]

In any case even if I did it does not matter u can choose to ignore my posts but I have been backing Rayadu of Indian team for over year now and I have tried to see his batting every time it was aired on TV His problem is conversion of starts in longer format otherwise can be decent limited over batsman But not sure about his recent form so maybe we need to give jadhav chance in Asia cup

[jf1gp_1]

No I was not u can re check threads I said he deserves one more chance to bowl I. South Africa and after first game I posted here it's enough and he got chance to prove himself Same thing was said during ranji match sachin tendulkars last that he looks steady nothing special Had discussion with lord in that thread u can search it or u can keep believing trolling of g_b who is doing that cos I laughed at mumbai

Buddy wasn't trying to hassle you, I haven't seen raydu bat much and fallen way to many times believing poster who just hype some players. At the end of the day all we care is a win.

[Sidhoni]

We shouldn't be celebrating an injury, come on!