India batsman Suresh Raina yesterday said the 79-run defeat by hosts Bangladesh in the first of the three ODI series was painful but insisted that they are still a better team and would come back stronger
Mirpur: India batsman Suresh Raina yesterday said the 79-run defeat by hosts Bangladesh in the first of the three One-Day International series here was painful but insisted that they are still a better team and would come back stronger.
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Suresh Raina. Pic/AFP
India lost by 79 runs on Thursday. After conceding 307 runs with the ball, the visitors allowed themselves to be skittled out for 228 in 46 overs. Three of their batsmen did not even reach double figures.
“Bangladesh outplayed us in every department. Having said that, all the five wickets that Mustafizur Rahman took, he got them off the slower ball and got our set batsmen, first Rohit and then me. When Ravindra Jadeja and I were batting, I believed that if we could stretch it out for five more overs, we would have won it,” Raina was quoted as saying by bcci.tv.
“This loss is a bit shocking for us and it is hurting a lot. Yes, they played better than us today but we are still a better team.
“Their cricket is improving day by day but we are on a different level. We didn’t play well today. But we still have two games left and we need to put in all our energy in making a strong comeback. One defeat doesn’t make us a bad side. As Ravi bhai (Shastri) just told us, the way we come back will show our character.”