Century on debut proves Raina is a Test material: Coach

Thu, Jul 29 10 09:22 PM

Lucknow, Jul 29 (PTI) Delighted after his ward scored a century in his Test debut today, Suresh Raina''s coach Dipak Sharma today said by scoring the ton his protege has proved that he has what it takes to be a permanent member of the Indian five-day squad. Raina scored 120 in the first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka and thus became only the 12 Indian cricketer to score a Test century on debut. "Suresh (Raina) had given evidence of his talent and immaculate skills in the shorter versions of the game. But his century against Sri Lanka in trying circumstances has shown that he has the technique and temperament to gain a permanent slot in the Test side," said Sharma, who was his coach in the Sports College here. In Ghaziabad, Raina''s family of four siblings and parents have visited a temple to thank the almighty for his success. "The entire family is elated with Suresh''s showing and visited the temple this afternoon," said his elder brother Dinesh Raina, adding it was a matter of immense pleasure for him to see his younger sibling bat with Sachin Tendulkar. "It was my dream to see Suresh bat alongwith Sachin Tendulkar in Tests which has come true today," Dinesh said. Both Sharma and Dinesh feel that Raina should have got a call in the Test side long ago. "It goes on to show the strength of Indian team. A person of the calibre of Suresh had to wait for 98 ODIs before he got a chance in Tests, that too because of the illness of Yuvraj Singh," the duo said. "If anything this delay has only added on to his determination and instilled in him the killer instinct," Sharma said. "During the college days here between 1999-2000 to 2003-2004 , he had shown great promise and he has honed his skills well over the years in his march towards perfection," Sharma said. Happy that Raina has maintained his contact with the Sports College here, his coach said the left-hander''s performance has always been a motivation for the youngsters of the college. "It is not easy to reach his stature but the boys are euphoric and had been discussing the innings the whole day," Sharma said fielding.

Source: Published>