India finally managed to bag their consolation price in their 18-day stay in Bangladesh as the two-time world champions avoided a Banglawash by winning by 77 runs to end the three-match series 1-2 yesterday.
Batting first, Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni registered half centuries in India’s 317 for six but it was Raina who was adjudged man of the match for his quick-fire 38 off 21 balls followed by three crucial wickets in the second half.
Raina praised Bangladesh for their approach and maturity shown during the series while he also hailed the Tigers prodigy Mustafizur Rahman who at the age of 19 made the Indian batsmen look ordinary.
“Credit goes to Mashrafe and Heath Streak, they must have taken good care of Mustafizur. He bowled a very good line and length. So we had to give respect and go after the other bowlers. Credit must go to his coaches and his family as well because of what he has achieved for Bangladesh in 19 years of age,” Raina said.
“Credit must be given to Bangladesh. It is not as if we lost the game because of just we played bad. We have learned a lot here. They have played a lot in BPL and IPL and next time when we play them we would have learned which areas we need to improve on.”
India’s domination in Asia had come under severe question after they lost the first two matches and the series, but 28-year old Raina believes losing just one series does not make them a bad team. In return he emphasised on how they bounced back yesterday and credited his skipper behind the effort.
“Only losing just one series doesn’t make you a bad team. Credit must go to MS (Dhoni) for the way he led the team to this victory after the two losses,” Raina said before adding, “I think Dhoni still has a lot to give to the Indian side as he has achieved a lot of trophies for the BCCI before and his presence to the Indian side as a captain or as a human being has been excellent.”
