30 July,2010 08:23 AM IST | | Dilip Vengsarkar
It is every cricketer's dream to score a century on Test debut. From the 11 Indians who have done so before Suresh Raina, seven of them did not go on to score another hundred in their Test careers - Lala Amarnath, Deepak Shodhan, AG Kripal Singh, Abbas Ali Baig, Hanumant Singh, Surinder Amarnath and Praveen Amre. In short, they could boast of only one Test century.
I am positive that Raina is capable of scoring many more centuries. I always tell young cricketers at my academy that even if you get half a chance to play, grab it with both hands and perform, for you might not get another one to show your worth. And that's what Raina did after he was inducted in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh on the morning of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
I have been watching Raina since his under-15 days for Uttar Pradesh. In fact, in 2001, the Board of Control for Cricket in India started a talent resource development wing and Raina was a product of that process.
It didn't take very long to spot players like Raina, RP Singh, Pravin Kumar, Piyush Chawla from Uttar Pradesh.
There were equally talented players in that team, but these guys showed mental toughness which helped them succeed when they played a higher class of cricket. They spent a lot of time at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore where they were groomed.
I had the privilege to accompany the India's under-19s for the World Cup in New Zealand and later in Bangladesh. Raina was part of that team to Bangladesh along with Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, RP Singh, VRV Singh, Piyush Chawla and Shikhar Dhawan. He would get a brilliant 40 and throw his wicket away, trying to accelerate.
I remember telling him time and again to play all the overs and remain not out, for I knew that he had it in him to score big runs. It did take some time for him to blossom.
He is a good thinker and his stint as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's deputy for Chennai Super Kings during the Indian Premier League must have given him a lot of confidence.
Though he is a brilliant fielder and a great team-man, I am disappointed with his bowling as I feel he could be more than a useful off-spinner for his team. He has a very good future, but must stay focused and disciplined as the "Little Master" with whom he shared a delightful partnership yesterday.
