Suresh Raina, who was dropped from the ODI team for the series against Australia, is in confident mood going into the T20 series against the Aussies, with the left-hander targeting a 3-0 series whitewash.
The left-hander, after being dropped, has been in top for for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Raina captained the side and played an important role in helping UP clinch the title.
In the domestic T20 competition, Raina was getting off to some good starts, but his failure to convert it into meaningful scores was a cause of concern. However, the UP skipper delivered when it mattered most, scoring 47 runs from 37 balls on a difficult wicket in the final.
While the knock will help the left-hander in terms of confidence, facing the Australia bowlers Down Under, with the likes of Shaun Tait bowling at 145-150 km/h, will be a different thing altogether .
"I was getting out between scores of 20 and 28. I worked hard and thought something will happen. The title win and this knock will do a lot of good to my confidence. I have played T20 matches throughout season. Now I will get to practice two more days in Australia with the team. I am looking forward to it," Asian Age quoted Raina as saying.
Raina, who has always been a key player in T20s for India, has not been able to impress against Australia in the shortest format of the game. He has scored 70 runs in his five innings against Australia, which he will be eager to improve on in the three-match T20 series, which begins on Tuesday.
The UP skipper wants his team to defeat the home side in all the three T20s, which will keep them in good stead ahead of the World T20 in March in India.
"After having lost four ODI games in Australia it is important to win all the three T20 matches. We have to work hard on the batting lineup. Winning all three matches will do our confidence good ahead of the three matches against Sri Lanka and T20 World Cup," said Raina.
