With India just one sleep away from the grand finale of the World Cup against Australia in Ahmedabad, anticipation around the summit clash is sky high. Ahead of the final, 2011 World Cup winner Suresh Raina, in an interview with RevSportz, talked about a range of things, starting from the unbeaten run of the Men in Blue, Virat Kohli’s eye-catching show, the Aussie threat and more.
Excerpts:
Subhayan: You played a crucial role in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final win against Australia that was played in Ahmedabad. What are your memories from the partnership with Yuvraj Singh?
Raina: That Australian squad led by Ricky Ponting was extremely strong. I remember that match fondly. Gautam Gambhir did well up top, but there was a bit of pressure after MS Dhoni got out. Yuvraj and I decided to stitch a partnership. Though we didn’t require a lot of runs, the pressure to win was of a different level. Sachin paaji was sitting in the dressing room and when my turn came, he just said “go and finish the match”. It boosted my confidence.
I have always believed that you must play aggressively against an aggressive opponent and Australia was one back in the day. From sledging to what not, they did everything. So my focus was on playing aggressive cricket. If you remember, there was an incident when David Hussey threw the ball and Brad Haddin came in front of me while I was completing a run. They abused us, sledged us. After that, Shaun Tait came to bowl but conceded 10 extra runs. That sledging didn’t work for them, but for Yuvi paa and myself, it fired us up. At the same time, we kept ourselves calm and focused.
Subhayan: How impressed have you been with Rohit Sharma and what do you think should India be wary of in the final?
Raina: Rohit has been excellent. He is setting the platform for others. If you put 90 runs on the board in 10 overs, then it becomes easier for the middle-order. If India have to win the World Cup, they’ll have to play Adam Zampa really well. We haven’t faced a quality leg-spinner in this World Cup barring Rashid Khan. But in Delhi, it was a smaller ground and a modest total to chase. After Mohammed Shami, Zampa is the highest wicket-taker in this World Cup. We have to play him well in the middle overs and Josh Hazlewood — who bowls a Test match line and length around the fourth stump. Mitchell Starc is a fantastic attacking option they have, so expect a brilliant contest. I feel whoever wins the toss will opt to bat first.
Subhayan: Kohli, the top run-scorer, Shami, the top wicket-taker, how good have they been?
Raina: Kohli is a big player made for big occasions. He has always delivered. We have witnessed his 50th ODI century in the semi-final. Can you imagine that? And we might very well witness his 51st in the final. Also, Australia is his favourite team to score runs against. He has eight centuries against them in ODIs. He’ll again deliver, I am pretty sure.
And what can you say about Shami! What a bowler! Swing, seam and that seam position, simply brilliant. From ball one, he is bowling attacking lines, targeting the stumps. As soon as a left-handed batter is in, he straightaway comes from round the wicket. We must credit Rohit the captain as well. His captaincy is helping Shami. He is giving Shami a first slip, second slip and a wider third slip. In the semi-final, he got four lefties out from round the stumps. The ball to get Tom Latham, it was on such a tricky length that a batter will always struggle to read that. He has been excellent.
Subhayan: Thoughts on this Australia team?
Raina: Australia is a team which knows how to play knockout games and finals. Being five-time World Cup winners is no mean feat. I feel that after that Glenn Maxwell double century, this team is brimming with confidence. That knock has changed the dimension. They have suddenly become fearless and I feel, they’ll play attacking cricket in the final. For India, what kind of start Rohit provides, how Jasprit Bumrah and Shami bowl with the new ball and when Kuldeep Yadav comes into the attack, will define the mood of the contest.
Subhayan: India vs Australia. Who are the favourites and why?
Raina: For me, India are heavy favourites. If you look at the batting unit, almost everyone has a century to his name. Players have scored 400, 500 runs. Virat has 700-plus and the bowlers are in top form. I feel Suryakumar Yadav can come crucial in this match. He loves this kind of a pitch and has done well in Ahmedabad in the IPL as well. So let’s see.