‘B’desh good chance to prepare for Eng’

Suresh Raina, who is all set to lead the 15-member India squad to Bangladesh for a three-ODI series, has said it would a good opportunity for him to get prepared for a tougher England tour ahead. 

‘It will be a good chance for me before the England ODI series. I hope if I do well (in Bangladesh) then I will go and perform well in the England ODI series also,’ said Raina.

He, however, admitted that Bangladesh series would not be easy for his ‘young team’, as the hosts would be tough opponents in their backyard. The 27-year old will lead the Indian team which is devoid of star players like regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma among others. 

‘Bangladesh is a good team in its home ground. We didn’t win in the Asia Cup and we lost the (T20) World Cup final (held there). It will be a challenge for us. It is a young team. The good thing is all the young players have done well. Left-arm (spinner) Akshar Patel has done well, (Ambati) Rayudu has done well, Manoj Tiwary has done well, (Wriddhiman) Saha has done well. Especially Robin Uthappa, he has been performing well in the ongoing IPL,’ said the left-handed batsman. 

‘It is a good team. I think the captain is not so important but if you have good players you can win matches,’ he added.