India Want To Keep Simple Against Bangladesh: Suresh Raina

1. This will be the first knockout game between India and Bangladesh in an ICC event
2. Raina is willing to bat at any position as desired by the team management

India's Suresh Raina has said that the team would focus on themselves and be disciplined when batting and on the field rather than on the Bangladesh squad ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup quarterfinal at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

"As a team, we have done really well in all departments. We took 60 wickets. The fast bowlers have done a lot of disciplined work. I think the credit goes to the staff. They've been doing a great job for us. When it comes to World Cup, you need to just play yourself in and look to have belief in yourself and you can win in any situation," Raina said. 

"We've played a Test Match here and faced Australia and South Africa in ODIs," Raina said of the MCG. "We've spent a lot of time in Australia over four and a half months now. We're used to the conditions more than other teams but we need to go there and play positive cricket. That's it. Keep it simple."

Excerpts from Raina's interaction with the media

On India's approach:

We have done well but we have to think about what we can do tomorrow. It can be a good game to be honest. But we just need to play good cricket for the next, I would say two weeks. We just need to apply ourselves, need to be disciplined and enjoy a lot of success on the field and the results will follow.

On the pressure that India would face:

All World Cup games are very important. All matches are going in a pressure situation. We need to just go in there and play to our potential. We can't just think what we have already done. We have played a lot of matches against them [Bangladesh]. We need to play positive cricket and need to do proper process in bowling, batting and fielding. We will definitely do well to help the team win the World Cup. The main World Cup is going to start for us tomorrow.

On Indian bowlers conceding runs against Zimbabwe and Ireland:

We need to be more disciplined. Like it was mentioned, Ireland were very tough. They played really well. At the same time, Bangladesh played well against England and other teams, so we need to bowl well. We need to feel the energy in the game, be positive and pumped up for the quarterfinal. We have done really well in the last six games. Now, you there's not much room for errors. You just need to do everything right while bowling, batting and fielding.

On MS Dhoni's batting form:

He got runs against West Indies in Perth and scored 85 against Zimbabwe. So, I believe the good thing is that every batsman has been tested in the last six games. So, if Shikhar Dhawan is not there, Rohit is batting. If Virat [Kohli] gets out cheaply, then we've got Ajinkya [Rahane], then MS and myself. I think we have done the home work and now need to play good cricket in quarterfinals.

On bowling to left-handed batsmen:

I like bowling to left-handers. I am required to give good overs to skipper. At the same time, I need to keep the pressure intact, because when the main bowler is taking a lot of wickets, my role is just to bowl stump to stump and mount more pressure on the batsman so that for the other bowlers can take wickets.

On whether India expect Bangladesh to come hard at them:

I think they have done well. They've reached the quarterfinal and now they're playing against India. They've played a lot of matches against us and have won against as well in the past, so we just need to be positive and look to enjoy the match.

On Bangladesh's bowling 

They have three fast bowlers. Taskin Ahmed has bowled really well. Then there's Rubel Hossain and Mashrafe Mortaza, all are experienced bowlers. Shakib [Al Hasan] has done really well in IPL, and he's a part of top 10 ICC rankings. So it's important to look to yourself and be positive all the time. You can't think about them and what they've done or haven't done [in the tournament].

On Bangladesh players India are focussing on:

We're not targeting anyone to be honest. We want to congratulate them. They have qualified for the quarterfinal, and they've done well. Like I said, they are an important team. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, all four teams from Asia have qualified for the World Cup quarterfinals. 

Earlier, everyone was talking about the new rule; how the two new balls are crucial. They don't have allrounders in such Australian and New Zealand conditions and stuff like that. Now we four sides are in the quarterfinals. They're a competitive team and they will definitely come hard at us. [While batting], we just need to have a partnership and bowl in good areas.

On India's defeat to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup:

To be honest, we're not thinking about that. We're looking at what we have to do tomorrow. With three games to go, you can't take Bangladesh lightly. They have done well against India. We lost to them in 2007 and (more recently) in the Asia Cup. So tomorrow, we just need to go there and express ourselves.

On his batting in the World Cup:

I think I'm glad it [coming back to form] happened against Zimbabwe, where I got enough time to settle myself in. When the team needs you the most and you deliver, it's feels great. At the same time, I got lucky as well. I was batting with MS and he told me that I need to be focused with what I've been doing the last few years. He required me to be calm. He said that Whenever you get the ball, you need to play your strokes.

I really love pressure situations. I have done decently in the past, but [in] that game I got plenty of overs to chase the target, so I was very happy to win that game for my team. I think now we have done all the homework in the batting department, whether we're chasing or defending.

On his growing responsibilities in the past four years:

I have improved as a player. I have learnt a lot from MS, Yuvraj Singh and especially Mohammad Kaif. I have played a lot of matches with them. So I knew what sort of batting I need to do in one-day cricket. I played a lot of matches down the order and sometimes a little higher. So I think I've become more mature after 2011, where I didn't have much time to play. I played all the crucial games, quarterfinal, semifinal and final.

On being a floater:

I think it depends on coach and captain, what they're asking me to do. We have always had a lot of meetings before the main games, about what sort of bowling attack they have, and what their tail is like. At the same time, we analyze our game as well. If I'm batting at No. 4, I need to just get my eye in before the batting Powerplay is taken. I need to spend more time at the wicket so I can play my strokes later on. I think I've done that really in the last couple of years. 

Whatever the team needs me to do, I need to prepare myself because at the end the day, India winning is what's more important than batting at four, five or six. You need to give your best shot irrespective of the position you're batting at.

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