Suresh Raina picks India's 'Sachin Tendulkar of Bowling'

Chennai Super Kings batting mainstay Suresh Raina who was also an integral part of India’s World Cup 2011 campaign has revealed that Zaheer Khan was the ‘Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling’ when the latter used to play for India.

Emphasizing on Zaheer’s ability to pick wickets at crucial junctures, Suresh Raina drew comparisons with the master himself Sachin Tendulkar. There’s no doubt over the fact that Zaheer Khan was instrumental in India’s World Cup success as he ended with most wickets in the tournament alongside Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi.

Suresh Raina was all praises for Zaheer Khan

Zaheer was the leader of India’s pace attack ever since the likes of Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad hung up their boots. He has guided many aspiring pacers including Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, etc in his playing days.

Talking about the 2011 World Cup, Zaheer wasn’t only picking wickets with the new ball, but also reversing the old ball which helped India contain their opponents, especially in the slog overs.

Suresh Raina had his say on India’s famous 2011 World Cup victory

Calling the memories of India’s famous 2011 World Cup campaign, Raina said;

“Whatever decision we were taking, it was all going in our favour. Zaheer bhai led the bowling attack. Everyone was talking about our strong batting line up but I would say he was the Sachin Tendulkar of the bowling department, getting us the breakthrough every time. Then the biggest contribution came from Yuvraj, who took wickets and finished games.”

He further added;

“Even though Sri Lanka put up a challenging total, everyone was calm in the dressing room. Someone was in the shower, someone was taking ice bath, someone was eating, yet everyone was thinking about the trophy, everyone in their zone and no one was talking to each other.”

As of now, there is no certainty about IPL’s future for this season. Suresh Raina who represents Chennai Super Kings in the marquee franchise event would be hoping for the tournament to start at some time.