Raina : I was not eyeing ton, so gave more strike to Dhoni

Suresh Raina says giving strike to Mahendra Singh Dhoni was more sensible than going for his own century as his skipper was connecting the ball very powerfully and it actually changed the game for them. Raina scored 84 before getting out while Dhoni bludgeoned his way to a 19-ball 63 as he hammered eight sixes in his astonishing unbeaten innings to power Chennai Super Kings to 202 for four.

“I was not eying a century, I was giving more strike to Dhoni, who was striking the ball very well. Dhoni played very well and the team’s overall performance was very good,” Raina said at the post-match press conference. “In the last match, we chased 185 runs and in this match we set 202. Overall, it’s a very good performance by the team,” Raina added.

The diminutive left-hander was pleased with his own batting as he followed up his 47 against the Titans with 84 against Sunrisers, who have good bowlers in their ranks. “Cricket is growing well. People come to enjoy and they enjoyed the game.”

Raina blamed dew for the spilled catches on both the sides. He had also dropped one catch. “I did not let off intentionally. Sometimes it happens. I worked hard, and I will work harder...we have to play very well in the coming matches,” he said.