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Suresh Raina Reveals Why India's Test Batters Must Play More First-Class Cricket

Suresh Raina believes India's Test batters need more first-class cricket to develop proper long-format skills. He points out that legendary players like Dravid and Tendulkar succeeded by batting through multiple sessions. India is currently struggling against South Africa in the Test series, having batted poorly in both matches. Raina hopes the team will improve their batting application despite this difficult phase.

Key Points: Raina Says India Test Batters Need More First-Class Cricket

  • Raina cites batting legends like Dravid and Tendulkar as examples to follow
  • India currently trails South Africa 0-1 in the ongoing Test series
  • Team needs to bat through multiple sessions to build proper Test skills
  • Raina notes batters are making repeated mistakes requiring different practice approach
2 min read

They have to play first class cricket more: Raina on India's batting woes in Tests

Former cricketer Suresh Raina explains why India's Test batting struggles demand more first-class cricket, citing legends like Dravid and Tendulkar as examples.

"I think they have to play first-class cricket more. Because there was not much cricket played between the South Africa Tests and the Australia ODIs. - Suresh Raina"

New Delhi, November 25

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina said that India's Test batters need to play more first-class cricket to build long-duration batting skills.

Raina pointed out that great Indian players of the past--like Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir--succeeded by learning to bat through multiple sessions.

Team India are staring down the barrel against South Africa in the ongoing second Test of the series, being played in Guwahati. India, who are already 0-1 down against the Proteas in the two-Test series, have batted poorly in both the Tests, especially against spin.

Speaking to ANI, Raina mentioned that the Indian batters need to play more first-class cricket to improve their batting skills. He pointed out that there was not sufficient cricket played between the Australia ODIs and the Tests against South Africa.

"I think they have to play first-class cricket more. Because there was not much cricket played between the South Africa Tests and the Australia ODIs. After Australia, they went straight to Calcutta. You have to bat for 3 sessions. We have seen great Indian players play Tests that way. Laxman bhai (VVS Laxman), Rahul bhai (Rahul Dravid), Sachin paaji (Sachin Tendulkar), Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag) and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) used to play that way," Raina said.

Raina added that India's batters need a different approach in practice because they are repeatedly making mistakes. He noted that after New Zealand, South Africa are now dominating against India in their own den. While India's spinners are good, he said the batting application must improve. He acknowledged it's a difficult phase but expressed hope that things will get better.

"You have to practise differently because we're making back-to-back mistakes. Earlier it was New Zealand; now we are seeing South Africa dominate. They have just won the World Test Championship. So, they came prepared. You see, there is Simon Harmer. Aiden Makaram is playing well. Keshav Maharaj is playing well. Our spinners are also good. But the application needs to be better by our batters. It's a bad time. But I hope things will improve in the future," the former Indian southpaw added.

After losing the first Test against South Africa by 30 runs, India are precariously placed at 27-2 and need 522 more runs to win and level the series, an outcome that seems highly unlikely. .

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
But let's be practical - with such a packed international calendar, when will they play first-class cricket? BCCI needs to create a better schedule that allows players to go back to domestic cricket between series.
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Arjun K
The problem is deeper than just playing more first-class cricket. Our domestic pitches are often flat roads where batsmen score easy runs. We need challenging pitches in Ranji Trophy to prepare proper Test batsmen.
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Sarah B
As someone who follows cricket globally, I must say Raina makes a valid point. Other countries also ensure their Test specialists play domestic cricket. Maybe India should have separate red-ball and white-ball contracts?
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Karthik V
Yaar, it's painful to watch our batting collapse repeatedly. Raina bhai is speaking truth - batting for 3 sessions is a different skill altogether. Hope the team management listens to this advice 🤞
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Michael C
Interesting perspective from Raina. The transition from ODI mindset to Test cricket is clearly challenging. Maybe they need specialized Test batting coaches who can work on temperament and shot selection.

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