Have a lot left in me, want to play 2019 World Cup: Raina

INDIA VETERAN Suresh Raina revealed that he was hurt after being dropped from the national squad despite his good performances. 

However, the southpaw, who has been picked for the upcoming T20I against South Africa, is focussed on making the opportunity count. As reported by Aaj Tak, the out-of-favor batsman said,

"I was hurt on getting dropped even after performing well. But now I have cleared the Yo-Yo test and feeling so strong. During all these months of hard training, the desire to play for India again grew only so much stronger."

Raina believes that there is a lot left in him and he is confident of doing well in the upcoming three-match T20I series.

"I won't leave it here. I have to play for India as long as possible. I have to play the 2019 World Cup because I know I have done well in England. There is still a lot left in me and I am extremely confident of doing well in these three games in South Africa."

The 31-year-old said that he still feels like a debutant after seeing the match-clothing.

"Yes, I am 31 but, as they say it, age is just a number. The other day when my match clothing arrived, I had the same feeling like I got before making my India debut. It is so special."

Raina last featured for India in the T20 series against England, where he scored an impressive 63 in the final match at Bengaluru. However, the failure to clear the Yo-Yo test kept him on the sidelines thereafter. Speaking about the incident, Raina added,

"My family became my biggest strength during this trying time. I played a lot of domestic cricket and focused on clearing the Yo-Yo test too. I worked really hard on it at the NCA. I have always been fit during my entire career but it is just that at time you get down injuries or niggles and that hampered the preparation to clear the test."
 

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