“Just a matter of a couple of games there, I can assure you that I am going to be there very soon,” promised Raina at the post-match press conference. “I worked really hard for two years. Each and every session, I was doing in the gym, on the field, I was just when I am going to play for India again.
I think God helped. Thanks to my wife, my kid to make me believe I can go there and wear the jersey again. That’s what I think the Indian team does. When you make a lot of sacrifices in your life and at the same time you enjoy your game. I worked really hard on my game and my mental toughness.”
That is what Suresh Raina, the Man Of The Match of the series decider said in the post-match ceremony. Suresh Raina after making his comeback count in the T20 side is now eyeing a comeback in the One Day side.
After losing the first two tests, we saw a different spark in team India and a different appetite for success. Team India bounced back strongly to win the third test, won the One Day series handsomely by a score of 5-1 and now with this win in the last game of the tour, India has won the T20 series too.
After being asked to bat first, India scored 172 at Cape Town riding on contributions from Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina. The fans were stunned when they realize that Virat Kohli would not be playing the match as he had a stiff back. The onus was on Rohit Sharma and he might have failed as a batsman but his captaincy was spot on.
In response to India’s total, South Africa fell short of 7 runs and India lifted the trophy. For India Shikhar Dhawan top scored with a knock of 47 while Suresh Raina scored 43. As for the hosts, it was skipper JP Duminy who scored the highest but in a losing cause.
JP Duminy scored 55 while debutant Christiaan Jonker made 49. At one stage it seemed that Jonker would steal victory from India’s jaws but that was not to be.
You can watch the video of Raina’s post-match press conference: Here
