There are a couple of reasons why Suresh Raina will cherish his maiden Test century for a long time. First, the obvious fact of his Test debut hundred. Secondly, he scored it with Sachin Tendulkar at the other end.
There are a couple of reasons why Suresh Raina will cherish his maiden Test century for a long time. First, the obvious fact of his Test debut hundred. Secondly, he scored it with Sachin Tendulkar at the other end.
"Once he (Raina) said while watching a Test innings of Tendulkar: 'One day I will also score a century in a Test with him (Tendulkar).' I am sure he will not sleep tonight. This must be a very special feeling for him," said Rajinder Singh Hans, former coach of Uttar Pradesh.
Hans was also instrumental in polishing Raina's skills at a young age.
Raina had to wait for 98 ODIs before he finally got a call-up to wear the whites. And the Ghaziabad southpaw did not waste any time in grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
He scored 120 and added 256 runs with Tendulkar for the fifth wicket to help India provide a fitting reply to Sri Lanka's mammoth total of 642 for 4 declared in Colombo yesterday.
When asked whether the wait to get the Test cap was a rather long one for Raina, Hans shot back, "I guess it was worth the wait. I am happy that he finally got a chance to play Test cricket. He looks well prepared and confident to face challenges of playing Test cricket."
About yesterday's knock, Hans said: "I would rate it as one of his best because he scored under pressure. He placed his innings very well. He has developed into a thinking cricketer."
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