Newly-appointed Team India director Ravi Shastri does not believe in flim-flam and whenever he talks, he talks sense. Shastri, interestingly, has backed limited-overs specialist Suresh Raina to play Test cricket for Indian team.
Raina is an integral part of Team India in blues and is in form of his life, after playing scorching innings on the England tour and then helping the Chennai Super Kings to second Champions League T20 title days ago.
The 27-year-old Raina, however, has failed to fulfil his potential in the seventeen Test matches he has played. Raina has scored just 768 runs in 29 innings – featuring one hundred and seven fifties – stats which does not show how good a player he is.
“The more I see him play, he is brilliant to watch. It will be my endeavour really to do something that will get him back into the Indian Test team,” Shastri said. “He is a class act.”
Team India has a packed international calendar ahead of them before the 2015 World Cup. After playing a full series against West Indies at home, they are to tour Australia for five Tests in December and then play a tune-up tri-series, before defending their title Down Under.
A packed schedule means fitness will play an important part when India starts its title defence in Australia-New Zealand. Shastri pointed out that fitness will play a crucial role while picking squad for the World Cup.
“You will have to really see by the end of the Test series, who is still fit, who is still fresh enough mentally and that is our role,” Shastri pointed out.
“The main role of the selectors, the coaching staff to see how they juggle it around, so that come February, you have a bunch of boys who are hungry, keen and ready to go,” he added.
