I want my daughter to cheer for me, says Suresh Raina

What's the story?

Suresh Raina's fatherhood has introduced him to new perspectives in cricket. The Indian batsman believes that his daughter, Garcia, is his biggest motivation behind his efforts to improve himself in the game.

Talking about her daughter's role in his approach towards cricket Raina said, "Two years back, when I was training and all, and my wife was expecting, I was thinking that cricket is all right, but there is so much more to life. I should have fun with my wife. But when I saw my daughter, I thought the other way – cricket is everything."

He stated that his family is the reason why he wants to work hard when he is on the field. " I should be even more serious, so I can make sure her future is good. I told my wife, this is me; I love my daughter, I love you, I love my family, but I love to play for my country. I know I have four-five more years of cricket. She said she would support me whatever I decide", he added.

In case you didn't know...

Raina has not been a part of the Indian squad for some time now. His last ODI was against South Africa in October 2015. His last T20 was against England earlier this year.

As he remained excluded from the Indian team, Raina decided to work on his fitness and dedicated a lot of time in building his physique and increasing his stamina.

Despite the enormous hard work, he failed the yo-yo endurance test at the National Cricket Academy.

The details

Raina went on to discuss the significance of his bond with his daughter when it comes to cricket. He expressed his wish that he wants Garcia to cheer for him when he scores boundaries while playing in the 2019 World Cup.

He stated that he has become more responsible because of his daughter. He now wants to perform excellently on the field so that he can return to his home where his daughter will be waiting for him. He believes that having a child helps a person to grow up.

What's next?

Raina will now aim at working harder towards his fitness goals in order to make a comeback in the Indian squad.

Author's take

Raina has proved himself on a number of occasions. However, his spot in the Indian team was indeterminate because of two factors.

Firstly, his performance could not fetch the confidence of the selectors for the upcoming fixtures of the Indian squad. Secondly, it was easier to pick up new players from a pool of talented youngsters.

Although one cannot deny that Raina has a lot of cricket left in him, he will have to fight his way into the squad if he wishes to don the Blue jersey again.