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[Saba Sports News] Former India middle-order batter and part-time spinner Suresh Raina opened up on the advice he received from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar before he went out to bat in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final.
Raina played some valuable knocks in the middle order that led Team India to win the ODI World Cup for the second time in history.
One of those innings came against Australia in the quarter-final fixture of the 2011 World Cup. The southpaw scored unbeaten 34 runs off 28 balls in just his second World Cup appearance.
India were given target of 261 runs. The match saw quality innings from Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who made brilliant fifties.
However, it was the 74-run partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina that sealed the deal for India, securing their spot in the semi-finals. Yuvraj was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round performance as he scored unbeaten 57 runs off 65 balls and also picked up 2 wickets, dismissing Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke.
Ahead of another high-stakes clash between India and Australia in the 2023 World Cup, Raina recalled the 2011 quarter-final during which he received a valuable advice from the master blaster.
“We were chasing 261 and when [MS] Dhoni was out, I joined Yuvraj Singh at 187 for five. We had to dig in, we had to take responsibility and play the ball, not the occasion and that’s what me and Yuvi did. In a quarter-final against the reigning champions, you need to bring your a-game and we delivered,” Raina said in his column, as quoted by the ICC.
“I remember the stadium being full of fans shouting and screaming and before I went in to bat, I was sitting with Sachin [Tendulkar]. He told me to go out there, take the chase deep, stay calm and breathe. He told me I could do it and I had already played 100 ODIs by that time, so I knew how to play those crucial knocks. I was very calm and composed and I thought ‘Let’s do it for India’,” he added.
Moreover, Raina also helped India win the semi-final match against Pakistan by 29 runs as he scored an undefeated 39-ball 36 in the first innings, taking India to a competitive total of 260/9 in Mohali.