New Delhi: Former India cricketer Suresh Raina reflected on the discipline and preparation that transformed India's fielding standards during his playing days, explaining how a culture built around relentless practice helped produce one of the country's finest fielding units.
Speaking about the methods adopted during his early years, the influence of senior players, and a memorable on-field collision in Australia, Raina offered insight into the work ethic, role models, and lessons that defined his career in the field. He credited a demanding practice routine and the high standards set within the Uttar Pradesh dressing room for laying the foundation of his reputation as one of India's most dependable fielders.
"We had created a culture of fielding. All the players used to come in half an hour early because fielding was always the first part of our training sessions. It wasn't like many fielding sessions today, where you take a few catches and feel the job is done. Back then, we would practise high catches separately, do ground fielding separately, slip catches separately, and parallel catches. We would also place a single stump in the middle. As Kaif bhai was always our UP captain, he used to say, 'You'll only make the playing XI if you hit the stump with a direct throw," Raina told JioStar.
