Suresh Raina: Learnt a lot from Virat Kohli

Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli

After performing well in the ODI series in England, Suresh Raina ensured that his franchise Chennai Super Kings went on to win the Champions League T20. He played a superb innings in the final, scoring a century while chasing a stiff target. He also became the first Indian to hit 200 sixes in T20 matches.

The Uttar Pradesh lad is the only Indian to score a century in T20Is, CLT20 and the IPL.

The 27-year-old has stated that he learnt a lot from Indian teammate Virat Kohli in terms of building an innings. Kohli is one of the world’s finest limited overs batsman. Hence, it is no surprise that Raina has looked up to him.

“I have learnt a lot in these seven years. In the earlier years, there used to be Matthew Hayden along with Mike Hussey and also our coach Stephen Fleming, who helped me matured. In the Indian team, I learnt a lot from watching Virat Kohli convert starts into big hundreds in ODI cricket. Not to forget my partnerships with Dhoni. Also, I’d like to mention Yuvraj Singh's name.

“It's important to perform on a big day. I believe they got 20 runs short, but I was determined to play till the end and see my team through. I have played Kuldeep, Yusuf bhai and Piyush earlier and wanted to be positive,” Raina said.

He also praised his CSK team mates for the great team spirit that was there in the camp.

“We have amazing players like Baz (Brendon McCullum), Faf (du Plessis) and Bravo and it's an amazing atmosphere,” he added.

Indian fans would be hoping that Raina can continue his good form in the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.