India v/s South Africa 1st T20: For Suresh Raina comeback feels like first time in Indian jersey

When India play the first of their T20I encounters against South Africa at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on Sunday, the focus will be on one man- Suresh Raina.

Suresh Raina is making his return to national side after almost a year.

Raina played his last T20I match on February 1, 2017 against England at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

But now he is back. 

Taking about his return Raina told BCCI.TV, “I have worked really hard for the last two years and coming to back to the Indian team, it feels like I am playing for the first time in the Indian jersey.” 

When Raina could no longer find a place in the team, he went back worked hard on his fitness. He played in the domestic circuit to reclaim his spot. 

 “I am very happy to be back and I have played a good amount of domestic cricket to get myself in the zone. I am looking forward to the game (on Sunday).”

It has been a tough road to return for him but he is not complaining much. 

“I am a very positive person,” he said. “The wait to get back into the team made me tougher and hungrier. Each and every lap I ran during training, I was only thinking about the day I will comeback and represent my country. 

“Setbacks give you lessons and they make your character stronger. When you feel things are not going your way, you still need to get your process right and work towards better things. You need to ask questions about your abilities as a cricketer and work towards getting better with each passing day. I became stronger and I have prepared really well to get back here.”

He said that he got a lot of support from his family and friends among them Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli. 

“When I didn’t get a chance, I was very strong mentally and got a lot of support from my family. I got a lot of support from our Head Coach Ravi Shastri alongside with captain Virat Kohli. When someone is down, but you have people like them supporting you, it feels great. I wanted to get back to winning ways and this T20I series might well be the beginning."

Raina praised captain Virat Kohli, who has been in great form with the bat on this tour, saying he had led by example and lifted the team’s spirits. 

Raina is looking forwards to making his opportunity count. 

“Whenever you represent your country, that desire is always there to perform. I am very blessed to have mad a comeback. I am getting a good feel of things at the moment. I want to win games for my country and that is my dream at the moment. I want to go out there and express myself. I have worked hard on my game and waited for my chance to come. I am confident and will make the most of it.” 

You can watch the full interview here.