Raina had played an instrumental role in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph.
In a recent conversation, Raina recalled the quarterfinal, where batting great Sachin Tendulkar’s inspiring words instilled confidence in him.
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It was Raina’s second game in the marquee event, having replaced the out of form Yusuf Pathan. In that all-important clash, the left-hander shared a crucial 74-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh when the hosts lost half their side in the 38th over while chasing 261.
"I was sitting next to Sachin Tendulkar. Virender Sehwag was sitting next to us. Gauti bhai got run out, and then Mahi bhai walked back in. So, I was padding up," Raina told sports presenter and host, Gaurav Kapur, on the latest episode of 22 Yarns Podcast uploaded on Spotify.
"Sachin paaji put his hand on me. He was wearing Sai Baba Ji's kada. He said to me 'it's your day, go and win the match for us today. I think Suresh, it's your day.' So, as soon as that happened, I felt a miracle happening. When I was walking in, Yuvi paa said 'chhodna nahi hai'. I said 'theek hai paaji, will try our best," he further recalled.
"When we started batting, we started taking twos, fours, and we started feeling support from the crowds. The more we were building our partnership, the more crowd started cheering for us. We got the momentum in the match, and as soon as the match got over and we won, I felt like it was a blessing from God," Raina said.
"We all wanted to win the World Cup for Sachin paaji, and it came on a very nice day," he signed off.
In the final, the Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to lift the coveted trophy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was India’s second World Cup win after 28 years.