Koi bhi usey mandir ka ghanta samajhke bajake chale ja raha tha: Raina on Pant

Cricket Desk: The tag of a retired international cricketer doesn’t quite fit Suresh Raina. He is just 34 and looks in good shape. In fact, he has just joined the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp for the IPL 2021, starting from April 9.

The urge to spend more time with family, which includes two children, however, meant Raina had to bid adieu to the international scene on the same day as CSK captain MS Dhoni, on August 15, 2020. But being away from Indian team doesn’t mean the middle-order batsman has not been following its recent exploits. Or referring to the team as “we.”

He is thrilled with the line of exceptional debutants that India has seen in the past few months. Raina talks about that and more in this exclusive interview:

Excerpts

Have you been following the Indian team?

Since the Test series in Australia, I have been watching every ball. The way we have been playing; whoever is playing, be it Shardul (Thakur) or Washington (Sundar) or (Ravichandran) Ashwin or Virat (Kohli) or Rohit (Sharma) somebody or the other is doing a magic spell or magic batting. It seems like India is keeping Test cricket alive.

Why do you think the debutants have made such instant impact?

It’s about self-belief. They know how tough it is to make it to the Indian team now. After some bowlers got injured, the others got chance. Ravi bhai (Shastri) must have had a good meeting after we got all out for 36 (in Adelaide). So, the pep talk that happened, it’s not easy to come back after that. We did a remarkable job.

We did not have eight to nine first-choice players and yet we came out on top. I was so impressed to see the stand between “Washi” and Shardul (4th Test, 1st innings, Brisbane) that set the tone for the Indian team.

Even in India (against England), they were confused whom to play whom not to. Even when (Ravindra) Jadeja was injured, Axar Patel played remarkably and took five wickets. Ashwin was so determined that he scored a century (second Test, second innings, Chennai). It shows how the Indian set up is performing right now.

A lot of credit must go to the support staff. It shows how Vikram Rathour (batting coach) is training them. Ravi Shastri I know is a strong personality in the dressing room. I have played under him when he was coach. The team has changed character under him. They now have the confidence that they can win from any situation.

Where do you think the change happened? Is it because of a good dressing room?

It’s all about the environment. It’s all about the belief and how you respect the side. Whoever and wherever the team is playing now, be it New Zealand or Australia, we are giving a tough competition. Everyone is saying now (after the England Test series) that it was a turning track. But the way we were defending the total, the way we played the second Test match, it felt like were leading 5-0. We were so dominant. The Ashwin and Virat partnership in the second Test it showed the level of confidence.

In Chennai, it’s very difficult to play spin and reverse swing. The way Jimmy Anderson was bowling. You just need to hang in there, need to have that belief that you can win a session. Virat has been doing a brilliant job after MS moved away from captaincy. He has given lot of chances to youngsters like Mayank Agarwal, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill. We have very good team to dominate world cricket for quite some time now.

Do you buy the argument that India won because of turning tracks?

When we go to Lords, Birmingham we get grass everywhere. We have also played there. Nobody talks about that. In the first Test, England’s Joe Root scored a double hundred. I think everybody should see how Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane batted in the first innings of the second Test. They changed the texture of the game. They played in typical Mumbai style, both employed the sweep. When England batsmen were sweeping, the ball kept going into the fielder’s hands. The Indian batsmen are very strong in our technique. We know how to play spin, how to play late against swing bowling. The way Rohit scored 161 (1st innings, second Test V England) made the game easy for us. It was historical.

If you have to pick one debutant who impressed you the most, who will it be?

Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant, I am a big fan of. The way “Washi” played in the first Test match (Chennai, V England), he didn’t get a wicket but he showed that he can bat. He has been there in the system for some time now and he has played two to three IPLs. But Test cricket is different. You need to be really strong-headed.

As far as Pant is concerned there were fitness issues. He was going through a really bad phase. “Koi bhi use mandir ka ghanta samajhke bajake chale jara tha, (everyone was criticising him).” First, since the Australia tour he has looked like scoring big in every innings. Against Jack Leach it felt like he would hit a six off every ball. For a stroke player like him, you need to give him the license to hit. Sometime, when he gets out playing the big shots, you need to support him. Like what Brian Lara used to say. When the time is good such players score a lot of runs but when it’s a tough time those runs should be a reminder of the player’s ability. He needs to be backed and Virat is doing it. Pant is here to stay for 10 to 15 years.

The situation is such that even those outside the 11 in Indian cricket team are as good a match-winner as anybody. We have the T20 World Cup coming in few months and then the 50-over World Cup. I think we are going to win lot of trophies.

But how do the talented guys like Kuldeep Yadav who are outside the XI stay confident?

Kuldeep Yadav is mentally strong. He was supposed to play in the first Test if Axar Patel was not there. In Jadeja’s absence, the team needed someone with better batting credentials.

And then Axar got Joe Root in both the innings. The Indian think-thank must have picked Axar as a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. I was particularly impressed with the way Axar got Root in the second innings. If it’s a turning track then bowlers like Axar who can deliver faster deliveries, bring a lot of variation. They can deceive the batsmen. As a captain, you need to take such decision based on the wickets.

Kuldeep is young and he will get his chance soon. This waiting game happens in every cricketer’s career.

How do you look at the youngsters in the upcoming IPL?

The franchises need to trust the youngsters, they should be given the license. A classic example is Arjun Tendulkar. He has played age-group cricket and is now playing his first IPL. It is possible that he may not perform exceptionally in the first year. But the franchises should see youngsters like him as an investment. Like equity and fixed deposit.

It’s not like that if one has invested ₹20 lakh on somebody, one should expect instant return. They should be allowed to learn. They should get at least two to three years to improve their game. Ultimately, the dream of all youngsters is to be part of the state team and then the Indian team.

That is a process that CSK have followed for a while now. Mumbai Indians too. They are the smartest franchise. They plan four to five years in advance. I have seen Jasprit Bumrah when he was nowhere. But look at him now. He is one of the best bowlers in the world now. So, you need to invest in youth and be patient.