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Calcutta: Till Shikhar Dhawan made the statisticians work over-time, on Saturday, Suresh Raina had been the last Indian to score a hundred on Test debut — at the SSC in Colombo, in July 2010.
Late in the evening, Raina spoke to The Telegraph from Nagpur. Here goes…
“Dhawan’s success hasn’t come as a surprise as he has always been such a hard worker… He structured his innings so beautifully, showing no signs of nervousness and batting in such a fearless manner...
It’s important to be positive, particularly at the start of an innings when you need to make a statement, and Dhawan did it so well…
Dhawan’s success has shown that playing first-class cricket and being selected for the A tours holds so much meaning. He’s been around for some years and, clearly, that experience has helped…
I remember Dhawan failed to score on his ODI debut, but he didn’t let that demoralise him and, in his very first Test, has broken records…
The first hundred is always very special. Almost three years down the line, I still recall every moment of my 120 in Colombo…
I can appreciate what the day means to Dhawan’s family and the coaches who have worked with him over the years…
Dhawan’s the sort to not leave things for others to complete… I won’t be surprised if he gets a big double on Sunday… God is kind, but more kind to those who put in the hard yards…
I am extremely happy for Dhawan.”
Raina is a regular in ODIs and T20s, but he is looking to make a comeback at the Test level.
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