Updated Cricket News - Suresh Raina counting on improvement in the ODIs

Dissatisfied to see the Test side being demolish by a revitalized Australia, Indian middle-order batsman, Suresh Raina is counting on varying his team’s fortunes in forthcoming ODI series Down Under.

In another one sided concern away from home, the Men in Blue were dishonored by a 4-0 margin, on the lines of the same script which saw them capitulating against England, six months back. Back then Raina feature in the Test series but was left out after his technique next to bounce, came under scrutiny.

However, the ODI format offers release for the World Cup winners and the left-hander is keen to put on a good show to make certain that his side quickly recovers from extraordinary criticism.

“The one-dayers and Twenty20 games will go in a different way to how the Tests went. Hopefully we will give you positive results. In the World Cup we beat Australia in the quarter-final and optimistically we will do well against Australia again," said Raina.

Changes have been made to the squad which sees Test specialists such as Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Wriddhiman Saha and Pragyan Ojha jetting back home, making way for the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar and Raina, to take the added task of humanizing their away form.

The team will first battle the hosts in two T20s before featuring in the triangular series against Australia and Sri Lanka. While the Indians have been inspiring in the limited over front in new times, their successes have mainly come on their own backyard.

Their last away performance next to the English side resulted on a winless note but the flamboyant middle-order batsman has strained the importance of the series for the younger group, gearing to take substantial experience, which in turn will help them get ready for the 2015 World Cup, staged Down Under.

“There are a lot of youngsters who have come from India. They have played good first-class cricket and done very well at home. I played three four domestic matches and got a double century," he said. “We will play 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and the same youngsters would advantage a great deal.”

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Indian batting resolve be there tested

Indian cricket has come a long way. Certainly the rush of the last few summers has caused a few headaches but cricket is lucky to have India as its driving force. Amongst major playing nations, only Sri Lanka has better half as much.

However, India has cause to worry about its prospects. Over the next few months the quality of Indian batsman ship will be examine and the new making needs to prove it can counter lifting deliveries as capably as their elders.

India's rise in the last 15 years has in no small part been due to the ability of senior batsmen to master back foot play. Now that go forward is in peril. Whereas the old guard of necessity learnt to play back, their successor can make millions by bashing away off the front peg.

India visits Australia this winter and within a few months group will know whether the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a breeding ground of brilliance or a promoter of charlatans. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trot have risen on the back of old shaped technique and attitudes. Can the new Indians match them?

Lacking guts

Indian batting needs to keep its imagination. Not so long ago, and with few exceptions, Indian batsmen were incompetent against great pace and seam movement and were easily crushed by assorted English miners and antipodean roughnecks.

England once claims four Indians off the first 14 balls of a Test match. Forgetting about the Ghurkhas, and applying a caricature, observers finished that Indian batsmen lacked fortitude.

In fact many of those players lacked experience and sometimes leadership. As George Headley was obliged to play under useless West Indian pale skins so Indian teams were for an unconscionable period led by Maharajahs unburdened with cricketing knowledge or skill.

Not that the batting order was strong or knowledgeable sufficient to flourish in hostile conditions. Indian batsmen were raise on passive pitches. Expert against spin, they were found wanting next to cutters and rib ticklers.

Now they place up on fiery track in Perth and on damp decks in Leeds.
Of course, a strange generation of batsmen has emerge, one of the finest any country has produced. No nation can forecast such riches, let alone depend on it.

All a community can do is to organize itself so that talent is paying attention, recognized and knowledgeable. After that it's up to the player. Additionally the present seniors were lucky with their timing. Cricket has enter its second age of high scoring.

Helmets have summary the threat posed by fast bowlers, pitches have lost their spirit and, in India, faster tracks and more recurrent tours have forced the issue.

Scaling new heights

So Indian batting has scaled new heights. It is an impressive line-up. Sachin Tendulkar's 100th hundred for his country is eagerly awaited.

How easily that phrase “100th hundred” trips off the tongue, concealing a mind-boggling feat requiring unexpected skill and stamina!

Rahul Dravid is a remarkably durable and talented first drop. Alas! Virender Sehwag is upset, a serious loss to any team for he can control from the outset.

He is a master cast as a maverick. Still V.V.S. Laxman is approximately, continually fretting until the crisis comes.

Sourav Ganguly has reserved but Gautam Gambhir has risen, and formed a potent opening partnership.

What about their replacements? Is Indian batting in safe hands? Can the new group play off both feet?

Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and company have the capability, but are their education complete?

Can they build an innings? If not they will wither in the sun of separation, fall at the fence of high hope. Nothing lasts forever, not even Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid.

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