Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has said that he wants Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to win the IPL 2024. RCB have made it into the finals of the tournament thrice, but have fallen short every time.
In 2009, the RCB lost the final of the IPL to Deccan Chargers in South Africa. Then in 2011, they once again faltered in the summit clash, this time to Chennai Super Kings. Their last appearance in the final came under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in IPL 2016. This time SRH defeated RCB in their own home in Bengaluru.
Virat Kohli is expected to make his cricketing comeback in the IPL 2024, as he has been out of action since the Afghanistan T20Is and missed the England Test series.
Suresh Raina said that he wants Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore to break the IPL jinx and lift the trophy this season.
"I wish Virat Kohli and RCB lift the trophy. It is long overdue now, CSK won it last season too but this year I hope that the team who has never lifted the trophy should finally add one to their trophy cabinet. Virat has worked really hard and I think he deserves to win this time," said Raina in an interview with Times of India.
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The 37-year-old former India cricketer also said that Kohli should be a part of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA because the team needs someone in the middle to soak the pressure.
“A blend of youth and experience will be key for India's success in the Americas. Youth and experience is really important because I played in the Caribbean in the 2010 edition, and to bat on those wickets is not easy. You need someone to control the innings, he (Kohli) is the chase-master and knows how to handle pressure.
Now we have players like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, (Shubman) Gill, Surya (Yadav), and Rinku Singh who can back him and play fearless cricket from the other end,” he added.
Suresh Raina also spoke about the recent India v England Test match in Ranchi and said that he was impressed with young keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel.
Jurel scored a peerless 90 in the first innings of the ongoing fourth Test against England and then played with determination on a difficult day-four pitch in Ranchi, scoring an unbeaten 39, to give India a five-wicket win and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Raina felt that Dhruv Jurel's Army upbringing gives him a "fearless attitude" on the field.
"I was impressed with his (Jurel's) wicket-keeping, he has worked hard. He comes from an Army family, so he has that fearless attitude of never wanting to lose anything from anywhere. He's (Jurel) been amazing, I have played a couple of matches with him for Uttar Pradesh. Special credit to Rohit Sharma, the way he gave chances to first Sarfaraz (Khan) and Dhruv Jurel. It is not easy to come into Test cricket and score back-to-back fifties, especially in a crucial Test match where the wicket was turning," said Raina.
(Times of India/PTI inputs)
