In the second part of his interview on Jio Cinema’s Home of Heroes, Suresh Raina talks about how hard things were for him after he got hurt.
The former India player talks about how he dealt with the mental stress of never being able to play again, the physical pain of being on crutches, and how his family and friends helped him through hard times.
How was the first time you played cricket on a big stage?
In 2005, I played my first game against Sri Lanka. On the first ball I faced Murali (Muralitharan), I was caught LBW and was out. The walk to the dressing room seemed to go on forever, and I kept wondering if I would get another shot. I worked hard in the domestic scene to get where I am now. Mahi bhai, Irfan, and Rahul bhai all told me not to give up because I was out on a duck and to do my best when defending because they had all heard a lot about it.
When it was Sri Lanka’s turn to bat, I ran out of Atapattu. After that, I felt like I should be on the Indian team because all of the older players were looking out for me. Sachin Paaji was in the dressing room with us, which was comforting. Seeing him there inspired young people like me to carry the Indian flag with more pride.
How would you rate your run-up to the point where you got hurt?
It was good, and I got to bat third and fourth. During this time, the super sub rule was put in place. Venugopal Rao was the first person in the world to do it, and I was the second. I remember that we beat Sri Lanka 4-3 in that series, and in one of the games, Dhoni Bhai and I put together a good partnership of about 84 runs. That’s when I felt like the coaches and officials started to believe in me.
As a coach, Dilip Vengsarkar had a big impact on my career. He gave me and other young players like Ambati Rayudu, VRV Singh, Robin Uthappa, RP Singh, Virat Kohli, and Faiz Fazal chances when it was hard to get into that team. But most of us had played in so many events that we were ready to go from the start.
How did you get injured?
When I was hurt, it was more the worry on my mind than on my body that hurt me. My family told me to worry less about the loan I had taken out and more about getting better. I was also worried that I wouldn’t get another chance because the competition was so tough and the 2007 T20 World Cup was coming up. Then I chose to leave my fate up to God and focus on having fun with my friends and family, since I hadn’t spent more than 10–20 days a year at home since 1998. So, with the love and support of my family, it was easy for me to get through the rough water.
You didn’t go home after your knee surgery. Then, where did you go?
I went to Lucknow to stay with my friend Ali because if I had told my parents about the surgery, they would have been very surprised. My parents would have been sad because they didn’t see me much and always told me to focus on school and not cricket as much. But I didn’t give up on cricket. But yes, it was hard to walk with sticks, but thanks to the love of my friends and the prayers of my well-wishers, everything turned out well.
I went back to the hotel and watched bowlers from behind the nets because my right arm was too weak to do anything else. But I was sure I would get better and be fine, so I tried every exercise I could to get back on my feet. My parents still said prayers.
Did you ever worry that you wouldn’t be able to play again after your injury?
Yes, I did have that thought. I was worried about how my family and I were going to pay our bills after I took out a loan. And it would all be over if I didn’t play again. I realised that the only thing I could do was work on strengthening my knee. Everything else would take care of itself.
Did anyone try to reach out to you?
I wouldn’t have been able to get better so quickly without my family around me. I’d read about players getting picked or about someone making a lot of runs in Ranji, and then I’d think that I had to start from scratch. But my older sister, Renu, kept me in the real world. She told me to keep working hard and stop worrying. My late father also said that worrying about success won’t get you anywhere, but hard work will.
Just try to do what’s right, and God will take care of the rest. Rahul Bhai helped me a lot by working with John Gloster to get things done. Yuvi Paa had a similar accident in 2006, but mine was worse, and he asked me how I was still able to play without having surgery. A few times, when I should have, I didn’t take it seriously. During that one Ranji match, as I got off the pitch to start the second run, my knee popped, and the sound it made was as loud as a coconut opening.
India
